The Hinata Defense Force
by Cyberwraith9
Summary: When the Forbidden Annex strikes again, there's only one team of heroes who can stop it...If they can remember to stop beating on their landlord!
1. Return of the Annex!

The Hinata Defense Force  
  
By Cyberwraith9  
  
Part I  
  
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It all started so innocently.  
  
  
  
The tiny drone had been sent from the central hive on a foraging expedition to the surface. It was loathe to leave the security of their subterranean nest, but the collective had insisted, and none could defy the will of the collective. So now, it was risking its shell out in the open, searching for scraps of metal, forgotten appliances…anything that could bolster their ranks and strengthen the hive.   
  
Dangerous or not, it was all part of life as a mechanized hot-springs turtle.  
  
  
  
The mecha-tama scooted along the ground, heading up into the hills of Hinata. Though most of the town's technology was in the valley, it was too dangerous to go into the more heavily populated areas. That's why ninety percent of the hive's missions went out to the single most isolated source of technological goodies in all of Hinata. In point of fact, it was the grounds of the elders, the first mecha-tama that had come before them.   
  
  
  
Scurrying up the steps of the Hinata House as fast as its flippers could carry it, the mecha-tama slid along the ground on a tiny jet of air that kept it just above the concrete walkway like an air hockey puck. Its sensors were tuned to look for useful refuse and appliances. A large disturbance had registered with the hive, and large disturbances always meant debris, debris, debris!  
  
  
  
***  
  
The Old One had stood the test of time for so long…It had seen the rise and fall of nations, the urbanization of Japan, and countless people, great and small. It had wielded great power over the hearts and minds of man and woman alike, manipulating them as it saw fit. It was a force like no other, a force that no man could deny, that no heart could defy.  
  
  
  
Until now.  
  
  
  
Three young lovers had conspired against it. They had tricked it, and defied its power. What's worse, their defiance had wrought destruction upon the Old One, and had nearly destroyed all of its power…but not quite all of it. And so the Old One plotted its revenge against the betrayers, and against all those who had stood by and watched. The entirety of Hinata would pay for its loss.  
  
***  
  
"Su-chan?" Urashima Keitaro stuck his head around the corner, peering into the dusty, cluttered garage sitting beneath the Hinata House's main living area. Since none of them owned a car, the garage had remained unoccupied for many years. Recently, the House's resident mad genius, Kaolla Su, had taken second residence in the hold, turning it into a funhouse of mysterious (and scary!) technology. Where the floors had once been bare, now miles of poorly-patched electrical cables snaked to and fro, connecting various machines together. Keitaro could only guess at some of the functions of the devices, and with many of them he was certain that he didn't want to know.  
  
  
  
"Su-chan?" he called again, wary to enter the room without Su present. The gesture wasn't so much out of respect for her privacy as it was a general fear of becoming trapped in her latest invention with no one to turn it off. "Shinobu says that lunch is almost ready. Su?" There was no answer.  
  
  
  
Bolstering his courage, the Tokyo U student freshly returned from his studies overseas decided to risk entry into the makeshift lab. The constant, high-pitched hum of electronics permeated the room, combined with a faint hint of burning rubber in the air. He walked past what could have been a missile rack (once again, reminding himself that he didn't want to know for sure) to get a better view of the place. Kaolla Su loved nothing more than leaping out and scaring the bejesus out of someone…except bananas…and taking over the world…and waging her never-ending war against little Tamago…but scaring people definitely ranked up there.  
  
  
  
His voice shook with unease, and he suddenly wished that he hadn't come alone. Even having Tama at his side would have made him feel better; at least then, he would have had a decoy to distract Su before she could try her latest invention on him. "Come on, Su-chan," he whined, "This isn't funny. I know you're hungry. You're always hungry!"  
  
  
  
"Did someone say food?"  
  
  
  
Su's voice echoed from behind him in the small garage, instantly dispelling his worry. "Oh, thank goodness." Keitaro wiped his brow, turning around. "Su, lunch is just about seEAUGH!"  
  
  
  
An enormous, transparent, and familiar disembodied head floated in front of him, bobbing slightly as if suspended in a pool of water. Somehow, Su's head had become a ghost of its own, a bluish-white specter the size of a Volkswagen. Her eyes fluttered at his womanly shriek, her mouth opening wide in her patented grin as he clutched his beating heart. "Good morning, Keitaro!"  
  
  
  
"SU!" Keitaro screamed, falling backwards and scooting on his buttocks until his back was to the wall. "You've become a g-g-g-g-ghost!"  
  
  
  
"Huh?" Su's head tilted, her features puzzled. "What are you….ohhhhh!" Her eyes veered down, as if it had suddenly become apparent to her that she didn't have a body. "Silly Keitaro," she chuckled, "I'm not a ghost. I have a body!"  
  
  
  
"No you don't!" Keitaro shot back, completely hysterical over the subject. He stood up and waved his arms underneath her head. "Do you see a body? Do you? I don't! Oh god, what do I do?" he moaned, hitting his own, normal-sized cranium against the wall. "What do I do? They'll think I killed her?" The thought started a slippery slope of doom and gloom. "They'll call the police…and then I'll go to jail! And then I'll never fulfill my promise to Naru, and die an old, pitiful virgin."  
  
  
  
"Not if you go to prison, you won't." Su's head snickered, giving him a gigantic wink. "Hold on, I can explain once I get out of this thing…Sarah? Sarah, where'd you go?"  
  
  
  
Sarah rounded the corner, carrying a miscellaneous piece of equipment. "I think I found one. It had three holes, but I only wanted one, though." She wore a long, red T-shirt with a glittering lightning bolt forged from countless sequins. The lightning danced in the pale illumination of the lab, reflecting the blue-white that Su's head threw off.  
  
  
  
"Thanks, Sarah. Could you get me out of this thing? I think Keitaro needs a hug!"  
  
  
  
Sarah glowered at Keitaro, as if he had purposely ruined their fun, then went over to a long black cylinder set vertically against the far wall. She pressed a brief code into a keypad set halfway up the chamber, then stepped back. A seam opened up down the middle of the cylinder, hissing steam as a pair of doors swung outward. As they did, Su's ghostly, disembodied head flickered and vanished, much to Keitaro's amazement.  
  
  
  
"Good morning, Keitaro!" As soon as the steam had cleared away, Keitaro could clearly see Kaolla Su standing in the strange black chamber, surrounded by a series of wires, tubes, and harnesses that were holding her up. Besides the technological adornments, she was as naked as the day she was born. "How do you like my Chronological Hyper-Improbability Compartment?"  
  
  
  
Keitaro immediately shielded his eyes, careful not to get a good view of what he knew Naru wouldn't want him seeing, and would probably beat him for if he did. "Your chrono-crouton hybrid what?"  
  
  
  
Su accepted the clothes that Sarah dutifully handed to her, whipping them on faster than the human eye could follow. "My Chronological Hyper-Improbability Compartment!" she repeated through the fabric of her shirt, which her head was having trouble fitting through. Popping her blonde crown through the top, she added, "I call it CHIC!"  
  
  
  
Sensing it was safe to look, Keitaro stepped around the two younger ladies and ran his hand along the smooth black casing of the strange device. "Wow. It's…uh…It's very CHIC, I guess. What's it do?"  
  
  
  
"I'm glad you asked that." Su reached over, yanking a blackboard full of equations to rest in front of Keitaro. Unfortunately for Sarah, she had been standing in the exact spot the chalkboard now occupied, and so received a clunk on the head and a one-way trip out of the panel. "Utilizing my theory that time runs in a sort of loop-the-loop, and bringing into mind that time flies when you're having fun, AND, just for kicks, I threw in Bohr's laws of electrostatics-"  
  
  
  
"Bohr's laws?" Keitaro repeated wearily, clutching his head as it tried to make sense of the chalky mess Su had scribbled on the board.  
  
  
  
She nodded. "It's very Bohring." She affirmed. The chalkboard flew away again, once more knocking Sarah back before she could enter the scene again. "Essentially, though, it's my ticket to immortality!"  
  
  
  
"How's that?"  
  
  
  
"Well," she pointed to the array of wires and tubes inside, "Once I enter the chamber, it generates a field of anti-time at the same scalar level of my own time vector, but in the opposite direction."  
  
  
  
"Time's not a vec-"  
  
  
  
"Then, you see," she continued, "Time is reduced to zero in the field! The only problem was, I couldn't move…it takes time to move, you see, even just a little. So, I hooked up a modified version of my Mr. Virtual to my new holographic projector. That way, even though I'm frozen inside of the chamber, I can still interact with the outside world via my hologram!"  
  
  
  
Sarah returned from her painful excursions, rubbing the growing lump on her forehead. Looking menacingly at the audience, she demanded, "Did everyone get that? It'll be important later!"  
  
  
  
Ignoring Sarah's obvious delirium, Keitaro examined Su's solution to her own mortality, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "That's neat and all, Su-chan, but…won't being trapped inside a chamber for all of eternity in a state of constant non-death sort of…drive you insane?"  
  
  
  
"Maybe," Su mused seriously for a moment. The soberness disappeared rapidly though, as he knew it would. "But I can control all of my computers and networking through the chamber, too, so it's okay!"  
  
  
  
No longer worried, Keitaro couldn't help but chuckle. He rubbed the top of Su's head affectionately, taking her and Sarah in hand. "C'mon, you two crazy scientists. Shinobu gets flustered whenever anyone's late to a meal."  
  
***  
  
The mecha tama skittered forth, heading towards the source of the major disturbance. Up ahead, it detected a large collection of untouched debris, possibly filled with unfathomable treasures that would make the hive stronger. Filled with artificial excitement, the metallic turtle threw caution to the wind and jetted forward unfettered. Upon reaching the ruins, it began a full scan for any useful items. Aside from a strange background energy, nothing was out of the ordinary; it seemed like any another collapsed building the mecha tama had raided.  
  
  
  
Unbeknownst to the turtle, the Old One sensed its approach. The plans that it had waited to enact suddenly came to life as the one opportunity it had longed for made a beeline for its broken, twisted body. Summoning up the last of its strength, it gathered the remaining power, focusing it all on the tiny intruder.  
  
  
  
The mecha tama had time enough for a grating, piercing shriek before its systems were overloaded by the deluge of immeasurable, inexplicable power. Violet energies surged from different parts of the Old One's broken body, finding safe refuge in a new vessel. The vessel, however, was not up to the task of housing the Old One. It was unworthy.  
  
  
  
Through sheer force of will, the Old One asked, pleaded, begged for one last favor from its poor, once beautiful body. Little by little, the body responded; a bolt here, a sheared portion of beam there, perhaps a long-forgotten appliance or portions of the old clock that had once resided in its magnificent tower…One by one, the pieces came together, wrapping themselves around the Old One's new shell until a crude cocoon was forged from steel and iron.  
  
  
  
And then slowly, the Old One began to grow and change.  
  
***  
  
A shrill cry drew Keitaro from the delicious lunch that Shinobu had prepared for them. Somehow he managed to tear himself away from the grilled fish (though a buttered bun somehow found its way into his pie hole before he left the dining room) and ran out to the entry way to see what all the commotion was about. Of course, given that there were only two people not present at the lunch table, it wasn't hard to figure out who was causing all the trouble.  
  
  
  
"Just get your goddamn meat hooks off of my things, you lying skank!" The flashing eyes of Urashima Kanako, Keitaro's adopted little sister, narrowed in on her arch-rival for Keitaro's love. She stood next to several trunks and bags, which had burst open at the bottom of the staircase, presumably after suffering a long fall. Kuro, her tiny, enigmatic cat, was perched on top of the haphazard stack, blinking at his owner with confusion.  
  
  
  
Standing several steps above her was Narusegawa Naru, lusciously dressed to kill in a breezy summer gown. Her hands were on her hips as she glared back at Keitaro's little sister. "I was just trying to help. You don't have to go all psycho-bitch on me."  
  
  
  
"Just get out of my way!" Kanako spat, stuffing her things back into the trunks. She picked them up and began dragging them towards the entryway. Kuro glided after her, riding on his oversized ears.  
  
  
  
Naru gave her a long, wet raspberry. "Feel free to let the door hit you on your bony ass on the way out!"  
  
  
  
"What's going on here?!" Keitaro cried out, rushing onto the scene. Tama floated next to him, as calm and carefree as ever, unaware of her roommates' quarrel. "What's with the luggage? Kanako?" He looked at his sister, then down at her luggage. "Kanako, where are you going?"  
  
  
  
"Goodbye, brother…" Kanako sniffed, wiping the tears from her eyes as she ran for the door. She tried to get around Keitaro's outstretched arms, but he effectively blocked her way. "Get out of my way!"  
  
  
  
"Let her go, Keitaro!" Naru insisted as the rest of the house made their way from the dining room to view the commotion. "She's been nothing but trouble for everyone from day one!"  
  
  
  
Keitaro ignored Naru (which was a first) and grabbed Kanako in a bear hug. Not only did it hold her back, but it caught her off guard as well. "Kanako," he hissed to the wide-eyed girl, murmuring in her ear. She could feel his breath rolling against her skin, which brought back all the feelings she had tried to forget when she had stepped aside for Naru. "Kanako, you don't have to leave."  
  
  
  
"But…"   
  
  
  
"Please…stay here, at least for the night. We can talk about this." He said softly, pulling away but taking her hands in his.   
  
  
  
Naru shook with fury as she watched the suspicious sibling stare into her brother's eyes. Just who the hell did the little tramp think she was? And what was Keitaro doing with her? "Kei-ta-rohhhh…" she gritted her teeth, producing a grinding sound loud enough to make even Kitsune cringe. "Can I talk to you for a moment…please?"  
  
  
  
Sensing a painful argument coming his way, he looked over at the others, singling Shinobu out. "Shinobu, why don't you get everyone settled down for lunch, and Naru and I will join you in just a moment." He gave Shinobu a meaningful look, tossing a glance towards Kanako with pleading eyes.  
  
  
  
Clever Shinobu, sharp as a tack, didn't miss a beat. "K-k-kanako-san," she stammered, bowing respectfully, "I had a plate all ready for you at the table. W-why don't you join us?" Kanako nodded, following the younger girl into the dining room. Motoko and Kitsune each tossed Keitaro their own looks- uncertain and bemused, respectfully- before following suit.  
  
  
  
As soon as he was sure they were out of earshot, Keitaro turned to the love of his life, expecting an explosion of anger. He was a little surprised to find that Naru had her own tears leaking from the edges of her vision. "Na-narusegawa?" Keitaro asked, moving forward hesitantly to grasp her shoulder.  
  
  
  
"Keitaro…" Naru stepped into his arms, wrapping hers around his waist. "Do…do you love me?"  
  
  
  
"What are you saying?" Again, he was shocked. Did she really think that, just because he didn't want his sister leaving in a huff? "Narusegawa, of course I love you." The words that had failed him so many times now came easy to him. Since the defeat of the forbidden annex, they had both realized just how important it was to be honest with each other, in addition to fulfilling their promises. "You mean more to me than anything-"  
  
  
  
"Even Kanako?"  
  
  
  
The question gave him an uneasy feeling. "Kanako…is my sister." He said at last.  
  
  
  
"But-"  
  
  
  
"But that doesn't change things between us." He insisted before she could protest further. "Narusegawa-"  
  
  
  
"I'm really scared," Naru bleated, burying her face into his shoulder. He could feel her tears bleeding through his shirt, warm and wet against his skin. The sensation sent a jolt of electricity running up and down his spine as her muffled voice continued. "We went through so much to be together…I just don't know what I'd do if I lost you again."  
  
  
  
"I'll…I'll talk to her after lunch, okay?" Keitaro promised her softly, kissing her atop her head. "I'll set things straight, I promise. Okay?"  
  
  
  
"Okay." She sniffled.  
  
  
  
He pulled her back to arms' length so she could see his cheery smile. "C'mon, let's go to lunch."   
  
  
  
"I'll be just a minute." She waved, managing a small, pathetic smile. She pulled out a compact, pretending to check her puffy eyes until Keitaro had left. With a loud snap, the compact closed, revealing her triumphant smile. She wiped the crocodile tears from her face, silently giving thanks to her high-school drama teacher. "That ought to fix the little psycho's wagon," she mused, walking to the dining room with a jaunty sway in her hips.  
  
***  
  
Kanako sat in her windowsill with her knees drawn up to her chest, staring out at the sleepy city blanketed out down below. From atop their hill, everything that Hinata was seemed so…distant. All its people, with their buildings and their restaurants and their laughter, it felt like a different universe to her. An unattainable universe, it would seem, for try as she might, she had never felt like she fitted in.  
  
…But with Keitaro.  
  
Her brother had been the only person in her entire, miserable life that had ever understood her, the only one that had ever made her feel welcome and loved. She had returned to the Hinata House in hopes of recapturing that feeling again, perhaps even finding something new, something better. If only that bitch, Narusegawa, hadn't gotten in the way…  
  
"Brooding again, Kanako?"  
  
Kanako arched an eyebrow as her wall tapestry spoke up with a familiar boorish accent. "Sneaking around again, Konno-san?"  
  
The tapestry moved aside, allowing Hinata's resident trickster through into the room. "You know, Kanako, you could call me 'Kitsune' like everyone else."   
  
"In case you haven't noticed," Kanako shot her a dirty glare before turning her attention back outside, "I am not 'like' everyone else." She drew her legs tighter to her body, burying his face in her knees. "Just leave me alone. I'll be gone before dinner."  
  
Kitsune pulled herself from the secret passage, careful not to spill her sake as she moved the cloth back into place. "Too bad," she lamented, taking a small sip and savoring the alcohol as it burned down into her stomach. "You sure knew how to shake things up around here."  
  
Kanako gritted her teeth, wishing with all her might that the intrusive harlot would just disappear. Try as Kitsune might to catch her eye, she refused to look at the beaming smile that seemed to never leave the older girl's features. "That seems to be all I'm good for…Since when do you know the secret passageway system, anyway?"  
  
"Su's selling maps. Fifteen hundred yen a pop per floor…and they still haven't mapped even half of the place yet, either!" Swirling the contents of her glass, she killed the sake with a tilt of her head. "Why do you mope around so much, anyway? I don't get this little 'poor lonely me' act of yours."  
  
"It's not an act!" Kanako snapped. Then she remembered herself, drawing her rogue emotions back in. She wasn't about to give Konno the satisfaction of getting under her skin. "No one understands me. I don't belong here. I don't belong anywhere."  
  
"Bullshit."  
  
That got Kanako's attention. Her head whipped around, whirling the hair into her face. "What?"  
  
Kitsune grinned, sitting down next to Kanako on the windowsill and crossing her legs. "See, you don't fool me. You're just like the rest of us." Kanako tried to protest, but Kitsune barreled through her outcry. "Everybody here has a reason for living at Hinata House. Shinobu has her family problems, same as Sarah and Su. Motoko is preparing to take over her family's school, and Naru and Keitaro are trying to build some kind of future for themselves."  
  
Kanako's eyes narrowed. "So why are you here?"  
  
"Oh," Kitsune's smile was patently enigmatic, "I have my reasons, just like you."  
  
"And what are my reasons?" Kanako huffed, crossing her arms. "Since you know me so well…"  
  
"Maybe you need to figure that one out for yourself." Kitsune stood, sauntering towards the door. "You know, Kanako," she remarked, sliding the door open, "You've been a lying, sneaky, manipulative bitch with absolutely no regard for anyone else living here."  
  
"So?" she growled archly.  
  
"But besides that…it's been pretty cool having you here." Kitsune turned, flipping her empty sake cup over to Kanako in a single smooth motion. "Here, take care of that for me." She grinned, sliding the door closed behind her and leaving behind a young lady with an empty glass and more confusion than she had started with.  
  
Kanako sidled back up to her windowsill, setting the empty glass in front of her. She considered the glass, as well as Kitsune's words. "Pretty…cool…" she rolled the words around in her mouth, letting them sink in. Gazing down at the ruins of the Forbidden Annex, she began to wonder if maybe, just maybe there might be hope for her. Keitaro had been the reason she had come…but perhaps there was now a reason to stay, a different reason.  
  
She continued to gaze at the annex debris, recalling with a shudder the horrors that the mystic, dark spirits had wrought upon them. As she did, the new warm feelings were chased away in a heartbeat by her memories, just as they always were. Then her sharp eyes spotted something odd happening in the ruins; a flash of movement, a glint of metal, and nothing more. It could have been anything, really, but her Urashima warrior instincts (the ones Keitaro had apparently been born without) told her otherwise. Casting one last glance at the sake glass, she rose from her seat and exited the room with a new purpose.  
  
***  
  
"Naru-sempai…do you think that you were, maybe, a little…'hard' on Miss Kanako?"  
  
Naru looked up from the soapy dishes she was in the process of washing, stopped in mid-handoff of a large pan to Shinobu, who was her dryer and inquisitor. "What do you mean?" she asked, careful to keep her voice neutral. "I wasn't hard on her."  
  
"Well," Shinobu made sure to take the heavy pan away from Naru, "You did shout at her…and call her a psycho-bi…names," she blushed, turning away and placing the pan on the rack. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be saying these things."  
  
The Tokyo U student was suddenly struck with a rush of guilt. If her behavior had been atrocious enough to make quiet Shinobu speak up…"I didn't think I was that…What I mean is-" she tried to defend herself, stammering as she searched for an explanation.  
  
"I know," Shinobu muttered, still unable to meet Naru's eyes. "You were just concerned about Sempai, that's all."  
  
"That dork?" Naru pulled back reflexively before realizing that she really 'was' in love with Keitaro. "I mean…uh…"   
  
Shinobu approached Naru, carefully folding her towel to give her hands something to do. "Narusegawa-san," she murmured quietly, looking down at the ground, "Do you really love Sempai?"  
  
Naru felt something twinge inside her heart. She remembered the first time she met Keitaro, and how she had almost killed him at least three different times that day. She remembered accidentally journeying to Kyoto with him, having the time of her life with a boy she had hated earlier that morning. She remembered rushing off to Pararakelse to chase Keitaro down. And she could remember, not too long ago, facing down the slight, shy girl in front of her for the man she had grown to love without ever realizing it.  
  
"Shinobu," Naru said in a small, scared voice, "I love him so much it scares me." She accepted the House chef's towel, wiping the suds from her hands. "I think of Keitaro, and I feel something inside me that I've never felt before…" She hugged the towel to her chest, closing her eyes as that very feeling spread out from her heart. "I feel warm, and safe. He makes me feel…" she heard a small chuckle, and opened an eye to see Shinobu's beaming smile. "What?"  
  
"I've never heard you talk about Sempai like that before," Shinobu tittered again, smiling like Naru had never seen before. "You're very cute." Then her face darkened slightly. "Much cuter than you were with Miss Kanako…Oh!" she blushed again, recoiling. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean-"  
  
"It's okay." Naru insisted quickly, hoping to stave off a panic attack. "I…I guess you're right. It's just…" Now Naru's bright face dimmed, thinking back to the edgy moments before lunch. "When I think of how close I was to losing him, I just…I just couldn't take it, and I…"  
  
"You what?" A pair of hands encircled her waist from behind, surprising the hell out of her.   
  
"YAAAA!" The old Kung Fu that Seta had taught her as a release for her pent-up anger kicked in as she flung her assailant over her shoulder and through the kitchen window. "Pervert!"  
  
"Naaaa-ruuuuuuuu!" Keitaro screamed, flying through the window. Lucky for him, glass gave far more easily than the wood or concrete that he usually found himself flying into.   
  
"Oh my God, Keitaro!" Naru cried, cringing at the blow she had just delivered. She heard a scoff from the kitchen door, and felt her stomach dropping. Glancing sideways, she confirmed her worst fear as she saw the one person on Earth she didn't need at the moment.  
  
Kanako arched an eyebrow, leaning against the doorframe. "Funny," she said hotly, "I didn't know love looked so painful."  
  
Before Naru could stammer in an explanation, Keitaro walked through the opposite door, ignoring the shards of glass still embedded in his skin. "Guess I'll have to add the window to the Repair Log, huh?" he laughed. "Sorry, Narusegawa," he gave his would-be girlfriend an apologetic bow. "I didn't mean to sneak up on you like that."  
  
"How do you like this?" Kanako sneered, crossing the kitchen. Naru was torn between righteous fury and embarrassment as the disguise artist laced her fingers behind her head, pretending to examine the ceiling. "She tosses her boyfriend through a window, and he's the one that has to apologize."  
  
Naru counted backwards from ten inside her head, forcing the raging anger down as she rushed to Keitaro's side. "Are you all right?" she asked. Her hands ran over his cuts, which strangely didn't go any deeper than his shirt.  
  
"You must really love me," He smiled, running a hand over her face. She shivered at his touch, which still felt new. "Usually it takes me a few minutes to make it back to the House, and you usually punch me instead of a Judo throw." Then his eyes lit up, as if he just noticed the others in the room. "Oh, Kanako!" he exclaimed, "There's something I wanted to talk to you about."  
  
Kanako bit her lip. She already felt nauseous at the PDA between her brother and her worst enemy, and she could well imagine what Keitaro wanted to talk to her about; more likely than not, it was to ask her when she was going to track Granny down, so he and Naru could get it on like dogs in heat once the last obstacle to their love was gone. "A-actually," she cut in, "I saw something down in the ruins of the Forbidden Annex. I was going to go have a look."  
  
Keitaro grew serious at the mention of the Annex. "Something? Something like what?"  
  
"I-I don't know…I didn't get a real look, but…"  
  
Even Naru could feel the growing tension in her stomach. "But knowing the Annex, it's probably trouble."  
  
"We should check it out together." Keitaro affirmed. Kanako began to protest that they didn't need Naru gumming up the works just as Naru cried out at Kanako's inclusion. He covered his ears, gritting his teeth and squeezing his eyes shut. "Stop it, the both of you!"  
  
"But-"  
  
"But-"  
  
"Look," he tried to remain calm and rational, "If the Annex is back, then all three of us are in trouble. Now let's go!"  
  
Shinobu watched the three points of the House's love triangle jet out the door, catching the dirty looks that Kanako and Naru shared with one another. "Be careful, Sempai…" she whispered to no one in particular.  
  
***  
  
The metamorphosis was complete.  
  
The time for vengeance was nigh.  
  
***  
  
Keitaro was relieved to see that Kanako wasn't the only one who had noticed an oddity at the Annex: Kuro sat atop a pile of broken masonry at the Annex's edge, watching with his luminous eyes while Tama-chan floated breezily on flapping flipper overhead, circling the area as if on patrol.  
  
"What the hell is that?" Naru exclaimed, pointing towards the center of the ruins. Even from here, they could spot the oddity that had obviously drawn Kanako's attention. The metallic cocoon stood almost three meters high, its surface pulsating as if it were a living thing. "I don't remember that being there before…"  
  
"Brilliant observation, Narusegawa." Kanako rolled her eyes, shoving Naru aside so she could better examine the structure. "You must tear it up down at the campus."  
  
"Listen, you…" Naru started, but a sharp crack from the Annex cut her tirade short. "What was that?"  
  
"I don't know…" Keitaro's eyes narrowed. If they could get closer to the cocoon, they could start finding some answers. The only problem was, he couldn't be sure if it was safe or not. "We need to get a closer look."  
  
Kanako grimaced, thinking of their previous adventure in the Annex. "Maybe we should send that turtle of yours in…"  
  
"What?" Naru cried, whirling on Kanako in an instant. "Why don't we send that stupid cat of yours instead!" Tama and Kuro exchanged nervous glances, edging away from the trio as they continued to argue.  
  
Another sharp crack stopped the girls' arguing better than Keitaro's insistent pleading did, finally getting their attention. A sharp sliver of light escaped the irregular sphere as a long, thin fracture appeared along one side. Several other luminous shafts opened up along its surface as the trio stood and watched in awe.  
  
Finally, the shell gave way to an enormous metallic claw, tearing and rending its own protective crust. The cocoon began flaking away, revealing more and more of the creature by the second. The three-fingered hand revealed a large, round body encased in segmented armor. Thick, stubby legs supported the creature, keeping the large, domed shell on its back aloft. Its elongated head snaked out from the top of the shell, twisting about and taking its new surroundings in with red, triangular eyes.  
  
"AT LAST!" the creature cried, "I, TAMAGAR, AM FREE, FREE TO DESTROY THE WORLD THAT OPPRESSED AND DEFIED ME!"  
  
Keitaro and Naru were frozen with fright, but Kanako wasn't impressed with the display. "Check out Professor Exposition…" she remarked snidely, crossing her arms insolently with a smirk on her lips.  
  
Tama-chan fluttered warily towards the metallic creature, curious of her new fellow turtle. Tamagar recognized his little cousin immediately, and his wide mouth split in a despicable grin. "Ah," his grating metallic voice buzzed, "Little one. Join me in my conquest of this pitiful planet, and we will destroy humanity together!"  
  
"Myuh?"  
  
"You dare to defy me?"  
  
"Myuh."  
  
"Fine!" he roared, batting Tama-chan aside. The tiny turtle squeaked, tumbling through the air and landing at Keitaro's feet. Tamagar growled, flexing his long, terrifying claws at the humans and their pitiful pets. "And as for you three…"  
  
"Holy crap!" Naru stooped over, scooping Tama into her arms. She glared at Tamagar with newfound ferocity, outraged that someone could strike a spirit as pure and utterly adorable as Tama-chan.  
  
Keitaro scowled, putting himself between the monster and his girls and adopting the defensive stance that Seta had taught him months before. "Listen," he called out to the monster, silently urging Kanako and Naru to go while the going was good. "I don't know who you are…Actually, I don't know what you are…" he admitted, "But you can't just go around hurting innocent turtles!"  
  
Tamagar seemed amused by the outburst. He began advancing on the trio with the same demonic smile on its unnatural face. "Then stop me." He challenged Keitaro.  
  
The former ronin sized up the two-and-a-half meter metallic turtle, swallowing hard. 'Hoo boy…' he thought, clenching his fists.  
  
***  
  
Motoko sat with Kitsune in the living room, sharing a quiet pot of Oolong tea with the trickster while they waited for lunch to settle. Su and Sarah seemed to be pouring over blue prints, which covered the coffee table and spilled out onto the floor. Motoko's eyes were closed, her face serene as she enjoyed the moment of quiet that had fallen over the Hinata House.  
  
"That was some cat fight, huh?" Kitsune grinned, sipping her tea. The soothing blend mixed well with the sake in her stomach, settling the delicious meal Shinobu had whipped up rather nicely. "Who do you think Keitaro will choose?"  
  
Motoko's eye opened, zeroing in on Kitsune. "I was under the impression that Urashima had already chosen Naru-san." Her mind brought up the memory of that infamous kiss amidst the Annex ruins, and her stomach churned in kind.   
  
Kitsune must have noticed her discomfort, for her smile grew. "Jealous?" she asked slyly.   
  
The swordswoman quickly got her rogue thoughts under control and shot Kitsune a venomous look. "Hardly."  
  
"Hey," Kitsune laughed, "Don't be too sure. He's gotten pretty manly since his little trip to America. Besides…" she added, "Love is a pretty funny thing. You never know what will pop up."  
  
Motoko's response came in the form of a terrified shriek as the wall exploded inward in a hail of wooden paneling and drywall. Instantly, she was on her feet, sword drawn and ready to handle this latest crisis. "Kitsune, protect the children!" she shouted as the dust cleared, "Get them clear and I'll handle the…Urashima?"  
  
Keitaro's head poked through the wall, courtesy of the hole his skull had drilled into the side of the old Inn. "Oh…" he smiled dizzily after his eyes rolled Motoko's way, "Mo-mo-koh…"  
  
Kitsune already had Su and Sarah in hand, but relaxed as she saw the nature of the 'threat'. "Keitaro? You must have wandered into the bath again, huh?" she snickered.  
  
"Not that I remember…" he said, talking as though he had a mouth full of cotton. "Mo-ho-to, could you join me outside? We have a situation…"  
  
***  
  
Naru and Kanako each grabbed a leg and hauled Keitaro out of the wall. Judging by how long it had taken Tamagar to lay the smack down on Seta's protégé, they needed to beat a hasty retreat. Even now, the robotic turtle was advancing on them, eager for another round with his foe.  
  
"Pull harder!" Kanako growled, dragging her brother along the ground and letting his head bounce as they ran for it.  
  
"You pull harder!" Naru snarled in kind, tossing a look over her shoulder. Tamagar wasn't even trying to keep up with them; he was plodding along, letting each step crush the ground beneath his enormous feet. "He's not chasing us!"  
  
Kanako began steering them towards the entrance to the House. "He doesn't have to," she scowled, "We have nowhere to go."  
  
As they reached the door, the rest of the dorm's tenants burst out onto the scene. Motoko was in the lead, with Kitsune at her arm. Shinobu, Sarah and Su brought up the rear, with the latter two girls each lugging a gigantic cannon.  
  
"Urashima warned us of trouble," Motoko explained, sword already drawn. Then she stopped, frowning with confusion at the sight of the two girls each with a leg in hand. "What are you doing?"  
  
"Oh," Kitsune rubbed her chin, "I've seen this before. But aren't you supposed to use a wishbone or something? I mean," she shrugged, "If you break him, then neither one of you-"  
  
"Not us!" Naru shrieked.  
  
"Over there!" Kanako's finger zeroed in on Tamagar, who had rounded the corner and was pacing slowly towards the gaggle of girls. "The turtle, you idiots!"  
  
"Turtle?" Motoko caught sight of the robotic titan and froze in terror. "TURTLE!" She recoiled in horror, knocking Shinobu down and flattening against the entryway wall.  
  
Tamagar's eyes flashed at the sight of the other girls. He stopped a few meters short, snarling with unbridled fury. "You!" he roared.  
  
"No, it isn't us!" Shinobu insisted with tears in her eyes. She was right next to Motoko, seeking shelter in the insensate swordswoman's presence. "You're looking for another all-girls dormitory!"  
  
"You betrayed me!" Tamagar declared. "You were to be my minions, but you sided with them!" His claw jabbed at Keitaro and Naru as he continued his tirade, "And you sought to destroy me! But I have sought shelter in this form, and so have returned to have my revenge on you all!"  
  
Sarah traded sidelong glances with Su, who nodded. Together, they raised their cannons, each hefting it onto their shoulders. Acting in perfect synchronization, they pressed down on the cannons' triggers. Streams of bright white energy leapt from their muzzles, streaking towards Tamagar. The turtle titan was caught in the midsection by the sneaky blasts, lifted clear off his feet and tossed almost twenty meters back.  
  
"That'll teach you to go into a back story in the middle of a fight!" Sarah tossed at him, adding, "Idiot!" as an afterthought. She watched in satisfaction as Tamagar's torso smoldered, blowing wisps of smoke into the wind.  
  
Su checked the charge on her cannon, nodding in satisfaction. "I'd say the new plasma cannons work like a charm, partner…though it did take the entire power pack to bring him down."  
  
"Uh, Su-chan…" Shinobu warbled, pointing in the monster's direction, "You'd better check your plasma-thingy again. Look!"  
  
The Hinata House crew watched in horror as Tamagar climbed back onto his feet. His movements were sluggish and clumsy, but it was clear that he still had plenty of fight in him. Even Keitaro, with his incredible recovery rate (he had already made a full comeback from Tamagar's last blow, after all), was shocked that the creature could survive such a blow.  
  
"A worthy attempt, Hinata House…" Tamagar allowed, examining the smoking crater that had been his chest only moments before. "But ultimately futile. I shall seek repairs in the sleepy village below," his claw indicated the Hinata Hot Springs district far down the hill, "And then I shall return to destroy you!"  
  
As Tamagar began to cackle maniacally, his shell split on an unseen seam, revealing an advanced thruster pack underneath. The thruster came to life with a flash of blue flame, lifting Tamagar from the ground and high into the air. Within seconds, he was out of sight, one with the endless blue sky.  
  
Keitaro blinked right along with the rest of the girls, transfixed on the waning image of the turtle monster. Even Tama and Kuro, who had emerged from their hiding spot, could do nothing but watch.  
  
"What the hell was that?" Kitsune was the first to speak, folding her arms across her curved chest with a scowl on her face. "One minute I'm enjoying an after-alcohol glass of tea, and the next, we're under attack by some kind of stupid robot turtle!"  
  
"It was…" Naru stammered, trying to wrap her head around the events that had just befallen them. "It was…"  
  
"The Annex." Kanako finished grimly. "The Annex is behind this."  
  
Motoko shook her head, still shaken by the sight of the enormous turtle. "That's impossible," she insisted, "We defeated the Annex just last week. It was destroyed."  
  
"It had to have been." Keitaro sided with his sister, brushing himself off as he stood. "It recognized all of us, and it mentioned something about betrayal."  
  
Kitsune just sighed, suddenly wishing for another glass of sake. "Great. Just great. I wonder how this day could get more effed-up…"  
  
True to the old axiom 'Be careful what you wish for,' Su and Sarah exchanged meaningful looks. "I think it's time."   
  
"But we haven't finished testing the limits," Sarah protested. The others noticed their outcries and gave the odd couple their full attention. "They're not ready!"  
  
"They have to be!" Su took off in a dead run. "Come on, everyone! It's time!"  
  
The rest of the dorm stared dumbfounded at Su's receding form until Sarah began yelling at the lot of them. "Well, don't just stand there! You heard her, didn't you?" Taking off after her mentor, Sarah led the charge towards the House's garage, followed closely by her dormmates.  
  
***  
  
"Su! Sarah!" Keitaro huffed, rounding the corner into the garage. Sarah had managed to get a good lead on the rest of the girls. As such, he was the first to catch sight of Su in the buff. Her clothes were strewn about, tossed without care by their owner as she began checking power levels and switch configuration on the various equipment in her lab. "Su!!!"  
  
"What's going…" Naru skidded to a halt, watching Keitaro as he watched Su in abject horror. "What do you think you're doing?" she demanded, lashing out with her foot and catching him in the small of the back. He jetted forward, crashing into Su's homemade particle accelerator (which consisted mostly of duct tape and air conditioner conduit) and effectively destroying the hardware. "Pervert." She spat, crossing her arms angrily.  
  
The rest of the girls were quick to catch up, hungry for answers. Su, however, offered none. She merely climbed into her black chamber, sealing herself inside as the tubes and wires began attaching themselves to her body.  
  
"Su-chan," Kanako huffed, leaning on her knees, "Why are we-EEP!"  
  
The ghostly, floating head of Kaolla Su flickered into existence above their heads, easily big enough to gobble them up if she so desired. "Hi guys!"  
  
"Su, what's-"  
  
"I'll explain the floating head thing later. Sarah, prepare the HDF Equipment Alcoves for activation."  
  
"You'll explain now, Su!" Keitaro insisted, rubbing his temples as he brushed the last of the accelerator's remnants from his shirt. "This is all too much; there's some kind of monster terrorizing our town, and now you and Sarah have gone crazy. We need to call the Army, or something!"  
  
Su's enormous head shook in disagreement. "The Army will never be able to mobilize the right equipment in time. If we're going to save all those nice people who live down there, we need quick, decisive action! We'll have to handle this one, Hinata House style!"  
  
"Why us?" Naru asked.  
  
"Because it's our fault." Kanako said softly. Everyone else fell silent at her words, even Su. "We thought we had defeated the spirit of the Annex. Instead, it has found purchase in a new body, returned to finish its dark work."  
  
"She's right." Kitsune agreed, lacing her hands behind her head. "This is our mess, and we need to clean it up." At that, the rest of the Housemates knew they had no choice. After all, if something was serious enough to make Kitsune's demeanor sober, then those were truly dark times.  
  
"Besides," Su added, "If they find out that the spirit got into one of my Mecha Tama, then I'll probably be held responsible."  
  
"What?"  
  
"And so, without further ado," Su quickly moved on, "I give you the ultimate weapon in my arsenal. Enjoy!"  
  
Working on Su's cue, Sarah activated a panel set in the rear wall of the garage. The response was immediate as the wall began rising. Six glass cases were revealed from behind the drywall curtain, cases that held a different mannequin in each. Each oversized doll was a different height and body type, and at first glance appeared to be different colors. Upon closer inspection, it became evident that it was their clothing that differed, clothing unlike any they had ever seen.  
  
The others approached the glass cases in awe, breathless at the marvels Su had wrought seemingly from thin air. "Su…" Keitaro whispered, "Where did you get the materials for all of this?"  
  
"Oh, here and there…" Su's head laughed gleefully, glad that they had received the suits well.  
  
Naru approached one of the cases, frowning at the shape of the mannequin within. It seemed disturbingly familiar. Though it took her a moment, she realized that the dummy was exactly her height, with her exact proportions  
  
"Earth's last hope." Su's head reassured her. "Ladies and Keitaro, I give you…the Hinata Defense Force!"  
  
=To Be Continued=  
  
The Hinata Defense Force! Earth's mightiest heroes! Well, sort of. Stick around for the next installment of Love Hina.  
  
1 


	2. Keitaro Solo?

The Hinata Defense Force  
  
by Cyberwraith9  
  
Part II  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
A familiar white van barreled down the streets of Hinata, driving on the wrong side of the road and spreading terror and confusion in its wake. It was nothing new to the driver, of course, but something seemed off. It was almost as if the terror (at least some of it) was appearing in front of him, and not just behind him.  
  
Seta frowned, leaning over the steering wheel as he expertly dodged a red convertible, though the maneuver sent the other driver into a fire hydrant. As the sports car erupted into flames behind him, his sharp eyes caught sight of a metallic gleam on the road several hundred meters ahead of his van. "That's odd," he muttered, trying to discern the rapidly approaching object. It's shape was quickly becoming clearer as he sped forward. "It almost looks like a giant-"  
  
He reached the object all too quickly, and for an instant, he feared that his craptacular driving abilities would crush it before he could identify the future road kill. His worries were unfounded as the object reached forward, slamming into his van instead of the other way around. The van slammed to a halt in an instant, driving the object back only a few feet. Seta, who wasn't a big believer in safety features such as seatbelts (and instead invested his money into making his vehicle submersible) flew through the windshield and skidded out onto the pavement.  
  
Tumbling to a halt, Seta lay still for a moment. His body ached and his ears rang from the violent trip, but true to form, he sported no serious injuries. With a fountain of blood pouring from his forehead and down his cheek, he stood on wobbly legs, trying to shake off the vertigo from his wreck. "There go my premiums…" he lamented, looking back at the van. Then he stopped.  
  
The front half of the van, including its modified engine, was completely gone. In its place stood the object he had struck, which was in the middle of devouring the rest of the van in large, rending bites. Its huge metal jaws snapped open and shut, tearing off chunks of twisted metal and steaming engine parts. Its chest, which sported a large, carbonized scorch mark, was slowly rebuilding itself, rippling like the surface of a pond. A thick, enormous shell graced its back, growing slightly larger with each bite.  
  
"A…giant turtle?" Seta mused, slapping a bandage onto his forehead to stem the tide of blood. "My Pararakelse research never uncovered anything like that!"  
  
The robotic creature finished devouring the van, spitting out the hubcaps. "Excellent," the beast rumbled, watching as the last remaining damage on its chest vanished with a tiny ripple. "My body is now stronger than ever before! Now, to seek revenge on this unappreciative city and fulfill my destiny!"  
  
Seta watched the enormous robot turtle stomp off, knocking aside cars and mailboxes, anything that happened to be in its way. He scratched his head, wondering how a giant robot turtle had found its way to the center of a hot spring town, and why it happened to be evil. He couldn't help but suspect that the Hinata Housers were somehow involved…after all, whenever something strange happened around here, especially strange events revolving around turtles, one could almost always implicate the enigmatic female dormitory.  
  
***  
  
The very people in Seta's thoughts were high atop their lonely hill, standing in the garage-turned-lab of the former Inn. Hanging above them was one of the culprits, the unwitting creator of a mechanical turtle civilization. If she could have, she would have shrugged and smiled. However, she currently did not possess a body; only the ghostly, disembodied vision of her smiling head floated above the rest of her housemates, waiting for them to don the weaponry that she had so lovingly designed for them.  
  
Keitaro eyed the mannequins inside the newly-revealed glass cases, marveling at the detail Su had put into them. Each one was a different size and a different color, and each had a small, circular crest in the middle of the chest with a tiny, colored heart set on a contrasting field. From the looks of it, Su had designed each suit with a different housemate in mind, for there was one that matched each of their body types.   
  
  
  
He stood in front of the one that was obviously made for him; it was the only suit that did not have a distinctly "female" chestplate. It was a gleaming, pristine white, complete with a helmet covering the mannequin's head. The helmet itself, as well as the several of the key armor plates, was etched with a turtle-shell pattern, following Su's usual trend of designing her inventions with a turtle theme.   
  
  
  
Quickly inspecting the polished plates, he felt his curiosity override the sense of urgency welling up inside them all. "Su," he looked quizzically at the blue, transparent head of their resident mad scientist, "Just what *is* this 'Hinata Defense Force'?"  
  
  
  
Su watched as Sarah, her clever little assistant, manipulated several more controls on a panel in the wall. The glass cases slid open, allowing each of the residents to reach out and touch their armor, which they did so hesitantly. "In anticipation of my final, climactic battle with Tama-chan," she eyed the mewling turtle with a grin, "I figured I might need some help. So, I designed high-tech battle armor for each of you, intending to call upon it when the time was right."  
  
  
  
"Final battle with Tama?" Naru murmured, caressing her own neon-pink armor. Like the others, her armor had a heart-shaped crest in the center. Looking down, she saw a small, futuristic sidearm in a holster, strapped to her dummy's waist. "Su, what made you think you would need all of this equipment to destroy Tama-chan? And why would you think we would ever help you fight her?"  
  
  
  
"Well, the helmets *do* have modified Mr. Virtual technology to override your free will," Su added.  
  
  
  
"WHAT?"  
  
  
  
Shinobu looked on at the armor made for her, a suit of canary-yellow with gleaming white trim. "It's kind of pretty…" she remarked as Tama-chan landed gently on her head. They considered Su's secret weapon for a moment. "But what are we supposed to do with them?"  
  
  
  
"Yeah," Kitsune said, turning back at Su. She had already tried on her own violet helmet, which fit snugly and comfortably, covering her face in a clear Plexiglas visor. "This stuff is great and all, but that psycho-turtle Tamagar is way stronger than us."  
  
  
  
"Not with this." Sarah grunted, pulling a chair up to sit at a console off to the side. "This stuff has negative-feedback controlled pseudo-muscular enhancement. You could lift busses inside of these things."  
  
  
  
"Impressive," Kanako grunted from next to her own black armor.  
  
  
  
Motoko regarded the aqua-hued suit Su had constructed for her. A cold, sinking sensation mustered in her stomach as her thoughts returned to the menace that had attacked them in their own home. Why did it have to be a turtle? She felt a small wave of shame flush into her cheeks; she had been unable to protect her family here at the House because of her own cowardice. She was guilty of the same shame that she had accused Urashima of for so long. "What do we do now?"  
  
  
  
"This is crazy!" Keitaro cried, waving his arms. He ran up to Su's floating head, his eyes wild with fear and confusion. "Su, you can't just turn us into your own personal army! Besides, we have no idea how to fight this thing!"  
  
  
  
Su regarded them all silently, uncharacteristically pensive for a moment. "Sarah," she said calmly, "Activate the Viewing Sphere."  
  
  
  
"Viewing sp-UGH!" Keitaro's skull warped as a large, heavy disco ball dropped onto his head and knocked him to the ground. The ball hung on a tiny wire, bobbing up and down. With a flicker, the glitzy surface of the mirrored ball dissipated, replaced with a fuzzy, distorted view of downtown Hinata.  
  
  
  
"This is the scene of Hinata," the disembodied voice of a female reporter spoke as the image panned over a horrible visage of destruction that had once been their beautiful tourist town. "A grim picture of devastation and carnage, as some kind of mysterious aggressor has begun a rampage the likes of which this reporter has never seen. We-wait…over there!"  
  
  
  
The camera's image burred momentarily, then snapped back into focus as the cameraman zoomed in on a familiar sight, one with a large, metallic shell and a pair of cruel, triangular red eyes. "There!" the reporter cried again. "The creature has spotted us, and appears to be…Look out!"  
  
  
  
Keitaro and the others watched in horror as Tamagar's enormous maw split open wide. A flash of light signaled an energy buildup, which soon became a terrible blast of power that leapt out. The camera's image tumbled for a moment and then snapped out, replaced by ominous, hissing static.  
  
  
  
"Oh my God…" Naru's hands covered her mouth in horror. "He's going to destroy the entire town…"  
  
  
  
"Su," Keitaro turned to the floating head once more, his resolve set and fists clenched. "How do we put the armor on?"  
  
  
  
It was Sarah who spoke up. She reached into a drawer and withdrew six little boxes, each of them colored to correspond to the different sets of armor. "It'd take too long to disassemble them, so Su came up with a way of teleporting the armor directly onto your bodies." She handed out the appropriate boxes to her housemates, saving Keitaro's for last. "These 'transmogrifiers' will put the armor on before you can open your stupid mouth." she told him.  
  
  
  
He regarded the box carefully. A pair of metallic tentacles suddenly leapt out, snaring around his wrist. His cry came just as the box latched onto his arm, pulling tight and resting coolly against his skin. "Wah! What the…"  
  
  
  
"I call 'em 'Moggers'!" Su chirped cheerfully. "Well, off you go."  
  
  
  
"Um, Su," Shinobu spoke up once more, "If you can teleport the armor, couldn't you just poof us there too?"  
  
  
  
"Wellllllll," Su drawled, "We tested it on organic matter, and it was…"  
  
  
  
"Not pretty." Sarah finished, nodding grimly. "In fact, none of this equipment has been really tested out. For all we know," she shrugged, "You could just explode when you try to teleport your armor."  
  
Keitaro sweatdropped, wincing at the object now stuck on his wrist. It refused to pull off, and he suspected it never would until the right command from Su was issued. "Let's not use these unless we have to, then." he mused. "We'll just have to find a way to fight the monster without them." He imagined himself being engulfed in an enormous mushroom cloud after pressing that big, shiny red button on his Mogger's control surface. The idea of being in the middle of a raging fireball wasn't high on his list of fun activities.   
  
  
  
Kanako grimaced, allowing her own Mogger to wrap around her wrist. "Then let's not waste any more time. We need to move out, now."  
  
  
  
Keitaro glanced at his little sister, then back at the blank static of the Viewing Sphere as he recalled how easily Tamagar had beaten the tar out of him. His gaze traveled across the room, moving to each of the girls that had found such a deep place in his heart. The thought of any one of them falling at the hands of that mechanical menace was like a knife to the heart.  
  
"No."  
  
  
  
"Huh?"  
  
  
  
Keitaro grew grim at the harmonized, questioning utterance of his girls. "The rest of you are going to stay right here. I'll go and see what I can do about the problem in town." He almost laughed at the understatement; That "problem" had already beaten him, and was in the process of destroying his home town.  
  
  
  
Naru stared at him in disbelief. "Are you a complete idiot?" she demanded, her own Mogger now in place. "You can't beat him on your own?"  
  
  
  
"S-sempai!" Shinobu wailed, "You can't-"  
  
  
  
"Brother!"  
  
  
  
"That's enough!"   
  
  
  
Keitaro's sudden outburst silenced the rest of their protests. He regarded each of them grimly, feeling his heart flutter even more with each new face he saw. The entire situation was all his fault; if he had confessed to the right girl in the Annex, none of this would have ever happened. It was his mistake, it was his responsibility, and he would die before he let any of the girls come to harm because of him.  
  
  
  
"Listen, all of you," he insisted, stamping his foot down. "Did you see that thing that attacked us? Did you see how easily it kicked the living crap out of me? I sure as hell remember that."  
  
"So now you want to do this alone?" Naru demanded, just as angry.  
  
He shook his head. "No. Not alone." He looked to Motoko.  
  
For a moment, the swordswoman didn't understand. Then she yelped, reeling backwards. "Me?!? she cried out.  
  
"Exorcism is sort of your specialty, isn't it?"  
  
Motoko seemed taken aback. She stumbled, nearly tripping over her own robes. "You…and me…against that t-t-t-turtle?"  
  
His fists clenched at the thought of the arrogant spirit destroying his town, attacking his home, and threatening the women he loved. It filled him with an uncharacteristic anger. "It's up to us, Motoko." His face was a mask of seriousness. "We're going to save Hinata."  
  
  
  
The girls were silent for a moment, but silence never lasted very long in their house. Kitsune beat the rest to the punch, grinning her clever, foxy smile. "Gosh, Keitaro," she blushed slyly, "You sure have gotten manly."  
  
  
  
"ACK!" Keitaro fell forward in a face-fault, flushing red with embarrassment.  
  
"That's better!"  
  
***  
  
Hinata had precious few marks of civilization to blot the sleepy, silent image it tried to project for the tourists its elders sought to draw in. However, with the needs of its permanent residents, it did have a single, rather robust department store that had flourished in the downtown district.  
  
  
  
The store had just about everything a hot-springs fanatic could think to need, including a large selection of appliances and electronics. It was that technology that attracted Tamagar; the turtle monster sought to add to his already-considerable power.  
  
  
  
He opened his jaw wide, blowing a hole in the side of the building. The shoppers inside screamed and scattered, thrown back by the violent explosion. The monster ignored their cries, stepping over the debris and through the hole. His entrance had taken him straight into ladies wear.  
  
Suddenly, something caught hold of the mecha-turtle's sharp sensors. Curious, he turned towards the changing rooms, stretching out with all of his hidden, mysterious senses. A slow, sinister smile spread across his maw.  
  
"So," he muttered, approaching the dressing rooms with crackling fists of energy, "The last of my minions…"  
  
***  
  
One brief interlude for him to grab his bokken later, Keitaro stood in front of the Hinata House. He looked up at his apartment, wondering if it would be the last time he saw the place. A heavy feeling descended on his heart. It wasn't sadness, but regret…there was still so much left unsaid.  
  
"Urashima."  
  
Motoko's icy voice caused him to turn. He smiled at the swordswoman as she approached him, rounding the corner of the building to join him at the entrance. "Hello, Motoko," he greeted her. "Are you ready to go?"  
  
"Urashima," she cleared her throat, looking everywhere but in his eyes, "I…I am sorry, but I…cannot..."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
Her face reddened with shame. "I cannot join you in this fight…It is…t-the t-turtle."  
  
Keitaro's face had shown confusion before, but now snapped back with clarity. "I understand." he nodded, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's all right. All of this is my responsibility anyhow."  
  
"I am…sorry, Urashima."  
  
He shook his head. "Don't be. I should be the one apologizing for getting you and the others mixed up in all of this."  
  
"Then you will still go?" she asked him, finally raising her eyes. He nodded once with a grim smile in place, but she could see the apprehension in his eyes. "You are brave to face the danger alone, Urashima."  
  
"Shucks," he rubbed the back of his neck, keeping the bokken wrapped tightly in his other hand. "I'm not brave at all…I just…" He looked down at the town below. Several spots had already begun to smoke and burn, and he could see the devastation from here. "I can't let anything happen to any of you. I don't know what I'd do if…" He trailed off, letting the idea finish itself.  
  
Motoko regarded him silently for a moment. She couldn't help but think how wrong she had been about him. "You plan on fighting Tamagar with a bokken?"  
  
He nodded, holding up the wooden practice sword. "Su hasn't tested any of this 'Defense Force' nonsense…I figure this might make a good Plan A so I don't explode before the fight even starts.  
  
She reached out, taking the sword from him as if to examine it. After giving it the once over, she summoned a brief charge of ki into her hands. The sword burst into a hundred pieces, splintering into a hail of tiny shrapnel.   
  
Keitaro caught the remains in his hands, crying silently. "My bokken…" he whimpered. "Why did you…"  
  
She cleared her throat once more. "I want you to know that I still think of you as less than a man, and a pervert at that. So, try and not read anything into it when I give you…this." Reaching into the folds of her robes, she pulled out a familiar sheath made of bleached wood.  
  
Keitaro's hands trembled as he took the blade. He recognized the sword instantly, and so looked to Motoko in disbelief. "Motoko, this is your Shisui…your old sword. I thought your sister-"  
  
"I asked Su to re-forge it for me." Motoko explained. "I always thought an extra blade would be prudent, but given the circumstances…"  
  
"This…this is too much." Keitaro was shocked as he held the balanced blade in his hand. He unsheathed part of the blade, looking at his reflection in the gleaming metal. "I can't accept this. It's the sword your sister gave you…"  
  
Motoko's voice was low and quiet. "When I was without a weapon, you came to me in my darkest hour with the answer." Her hand found its way to Hina, the ominous blade slung at her waist. "I could not live with myself if I failed to do the same."  
  
"T-Thank you." he bowed respectfully, tying the sword's strap around his chest so that the hilt of the sword rested just behind his shoulder. "I'll wield this blade in your honor…all of your honor."  
  
Motoko blushed, cursing his sentimentality. "U-Urashima…Good luck." She bowed one last time, then exited quickly. Keitaro watched her vanish into the Inn, then turned back to the stairs.   
  
With one last breath to gather his courage, he began to descend the steps, intent on facing the threat far below. His gait quickly became a full-out run; he knew that if he slowed, he would reconsider and   
  
"Naru…Kanako…everyone…Wish me luck." he murmured.  
  
***  
  
A quarter of an hour later, Keitaro found the source of the massacre; Hinata's one and only department store. Winded, he stopped just inside of the doors for a moment, leaning over to catch his breath and take stock of the situation.   
  
The police were nowhere to be found at the scene of terror. Keitaro couldn't blame them. Nine of the ten situations they dealt with ended up being parking tickets, or minor citations. They were totally unprepared for a monster attack. 'But,' he swallowed, 'What chance do I have, then?' He pushed the rogue thought from his mind. Steeling his nerves, he drew his new blade and stepped into the ruined department store.  
  
The inside was equally deserted as the exterior. Everywhere he looked there were tipped displays, ruined mannequins, and strewn clothes littering the scene. He felt Seta's training take hold of his mind, honing his senses and slowing his frantic breathing to a steady, controlled beat. His steps were slow and even, each footfall carefully calculated as he moved across the sales floor.  
  
"Hello?" he called out, sweeping his eyes across the floor. "Anyone in here?" It was probably foolish to give his position away, but his first priority to make sure everyone was all right.  
  
"Over here, child."  
  
Keitaro recognized Tamagar's evil, grating voice echoing from somewhere over in the ladies' department. Swallowing hard, he forced himself to move in that direction, ignoring the overwhelming impulse to run away. "Where are you, Tamagar?" He kept his voice steady somehow, keeping the point of his blade low as he shuffled past several toppled displays of the latest fashions in Tokyo.  
  
"Over here, in lingerie."  
  
"You fiend." Keitaro swore under his breath. He sprinted the last few steps, finally reaching a field of bras and panties. The undergarments were in every direction he looked, making him extremely uncomfortable. Part of him kept expecting Naru to show up and beat him just for being there, but he felt secure knowing that she was far away. "Show yourself."  
  
Tamagar suddenly appeared out of the blue, stepping out of the changing rooms. He had both arms outstretched to either side, with one of them concealed behind the wall he had come from. "So," he sneered as best his metallic face would allow, cruel eyes narrowing, "The Ronin comes looking for me alone. How cute."  
  
"Give it up." Keitaro hoped to talk the monster down. Maybe they could reach some kind of peaceful agreement. "How long do you think it'll take before the Army will come after you?"  
  
The creature chuckled. "Do you think the Army will attack me through my hostage?"  
  
Keitaro felt his insides freeze as Tamagar stepped to his left, revealing a pale, limp form wrapped delicately in his massive hand. It took him only a second to recognize the long chestnut braid and deep, soulful brown eyes set above a tiny, enigmatic smile.  
  
"Kei-kun!" Mutsumi waved at him from Tamagar's icy grip. She was clad only in a pair of pink panties and matching bra. Under normal circumstances, such a sight would have given Keitaro a nosebleed, but he was far too worried to be turned on. "Look! It's a hot spring turtle! And he's so big…"  
  
"Let her GO, Tamagar!" Keitaro yelled, raising his blade. "Or so help me, I'll!"  
  
"You'll what?" Tamagar laughed. He began squeezing Mutsumi, receiving a sharp cry of distress for his efforts. The anemic's shrill scream forced Keitaro's sword down. "By all means," he insisted, ceasing his attack for the moment, "Continue, if you wish your little friend harmed."  
  
Keitaro gritted his teeth, giving the mechanical turtle his best glare. "I'll stop you. I promise. And I always keep my promises…" he added.  
  
Tamagar raised his free arm. The length of complex components began shifted and morphing, turning the appendage into a massive energy cannon. The wide barrel loomed at Keitaro, so close the student could see the inner workings' of the machine pulsing and moving from where he stood. Keitaro saw a sharp, bright build-up of energy in the cannon, and braced himself for a major blast of pain.  
  
  
  
"Promise this." Tamagar snarled, and fired the cannon.  
  
***  
  
"Will you stop pacing?"  
  
Naru looked up, raising her eyes from her feet to glare at an irritated Kanako. She couldn't understand how the raven-haired youth could lean against the wall like that, waiting for some kind of sign from the Viewing Sphere. Sarah and Su were scanning the local news networks, but for the moment there were no more broadcasts from the scene of the battle. Each of them had been dealing with the stress.  
  
Kitsune looked up from her cigarette, blowing a stream of smoke in a worried huff. It was a habit that only surfaced in situations where even her flippant brand of humor couldn't cover her concern. "Lay off of her, Kanako. She's worried. We all-"  
  
A stream of icy white blasted her in the face, silencing her admonishments. Sarah stood below her with an empty fire extinguisher, scowling up at Kitsune. "There's too much delicate equipment in here for smoking," she said.  
  
The trickster wiped the thin layer of frost from her eyes, pouting as she held up her soggy cigarette. "Figures." she sighed, flicking the useless coffin nail away.  
  
Naru sniffed, folding her arms. "I'm not worried about that idiot. If he thinks he can take care of it all by himself, then let him. I'm just worried about…the department store!" she added pathetically. She didn't fool anyone, least of all herself.  
  
Shinobu was in the corner, anxiously watching the Sphere as she chewed her knuckles to the bone. "Oh dear, oh dear…Sempai…" she repeated every few moments before retreating into a worried silence.  
  
Motoko opened an eye, watching the altercation develop between Naru and Kanako. "You two would be best to leave the squabbling for when we aren't under attack by a fearsome monster." she said dryly. She was on the floor, sitting in a lotus position with her sword sheathed safely across her lap. Since Keitaro's departure, she had attempted to calm herself through meditation. It hadn't been working.  
  
A response was on the tip of Naru's tongue when Su's enormous head finally cried out in triumph. "Tokyo's Channel Three is finally on the scene!" she sang, turning back to the Viewing Sphere. With another burst of static and a hiss, the familiar image of the ruinations of downtown Hinata snapped back into warped existence inside of the disco ball.  
  
"This is Tokyo Three News, coming to you live from the scene developing here in Hinata…" the reporter began immediately, but none of the girls were listening to him. Each of them watched intently as the smoldering remains of the Hinata Department Store came into focus.  
  
For a moment, there was no sign of activity, save for the columns of smoke that drifted lazily into the morning air. Then, as the reporter continued to babble, a sharp explosion of light and debris blew out of the side of the building. Each of the girls caught sight of a familiar silhouette in the middle of the blue-white flash, traveling across the skyline and landing with a sharp crack against the pavement.  
  
"This is unbelievable!" the reporter cried out as his cameraman zoomed in on the crater in the sidewalk. "Something…or someone, has actually exited the building in what appears to be an aura of incredible power! Could this be an actual Z Warrior, come to defeat the monster?"  
  
"That's Sempai!" Shinobu screamed as the camera zoomed in, revealing the face of the unwilling projectile.  
  
The camera field jiggled as the cameraman ran forward to get a close-up. The entire city watched with bated breath as Keitaro pulled himself out of the hole, shrugging off the pieces of ruined cement. "Excuse me, Goku," the reporter tried to stick his microphone down the landlord's throat. "Will you be utilizing your Kamehameha Wave, or have you developed-"  
  
"What are you blabbering about?" Keitaro cried out, finally getting his wits back about him. He began waving his sword at the camera as if trying to herd them away. "Why are you here? Get out of here, quick! He's coming, and-oh, god!"  
  
Keitaro's pointing blade indicated something off-camera, something high above them. Without any sort of warning, a dark grey blur landed behind Keitaro with such force of impact that it knocked the cameraman off of his feet, once again sending the machine's field of vision skewing about.  
  
"Keitaro!" Naru screeched, trying to warn him as if he could hear her. Already the expert camera-slinger had regained equilibrium, and was filming the fight. Tamagar had something large and pink clutched in his massive right hand, but the monster was moving too fast for anyone to clearly make out. Whatever it was, it was keeping Keitaro from attacking in earnest.  
  
Motoko gasped, watching Keitaro launch minor swipes at the overpowering monster. "I don't understand…why does he not fight? Even he is not this pathetic…"  
  
Tamagar stayed rooted to the ground long enough for the camera to focus in. Motoko's question was answered immediately as Mutsumi waved at the camera. "Hello, everyone!" she giggled, squealing as the monster swung her about and used her as a shield against Keitaro's latest onslaught. The former ronin was forced to abandon the ki-powered slash, stopping his blade just inches from the anemic's ivory skin.  
  
The girls all watched in horror as Tamagar hauled off with his other arm, punching Keitaro into a fire hydrant. The rest of the battle was lost in a spray of water. The Sphere dissolved into static once again, then reverted to its disco ball form once more. Sarah mournfully commanded the ball to withdraw into the ceiling as the Hinata House residents exchanged worried looks.  
  
"Sempai's losing." Shinobu sniffled, tears welling up at the edge of her vision.  
  
"No," Kitsune shook her head, her arms crossed and nose tilted down. "That would imply that he started out with a chance. Keitaro's getting slaughtered…"  
  
"What can we do?" Motoko mused uncomfortably. The mere thought of that turtle monster sent her into chills. If Keitaro fell, it could possibly come down to her. "Urashima hasn't long."  
  
Su nodded, a serious affair for a head the size of a small car. "He won't use the Mogger. Heh…guess we shouldn't have told him about that whole 'blowing up' thing, huh? What do you think, Naru…? Naru?" She looked down, rolling her holographic gaze to and fro, but the student was nowhere to be found. "Naru!"  
  
Naru was already halfway out the door. She stopped at the mention of her name, tensing up. "Su. Sarah." she said without turning, "Are you certain these inventions of yours can beat Tamagar?"  
  
"One hundred and twenty percent!" Su chirped.  
  
Sarah couldn't help but add, "That's assuming they don't kill you right off the bat, of course."  
  
"Fine." She continued on towards the door, determination evident with each step she took. "I'll risk it."  
  
"Naru…Naru!" Kitsune called after her friend uselessly. The fiery student was already out of the garage, past the swinging door and out of earshot. "Lord," she swore, "That girl is just too damn headstrong." A small chuckle escaped her lips a moment later. "I can't say I blame her, though…" she added.  
  
"What do you mean?" Shinobu asked, confused.  
  
Feeling a small jab of envy, Kitsune turned to her younger housemate. A small shadow of sadness hid inside of her smile as she ruffled the young girl's hair affectionately. "People do crazy things when they're in love, kiddo."  
  
Kanako watched the proceedings, seemingly impassive. Her face was as stone as she gauged the rest of the girls' reactions to Naru's leaving. Each of them was like an open book to her, but her own emotions were, as always, a mystery to her. She searched through her heart, expecting to find jealousy and hatred towards Naru, but instead…  
  
…instead, she found only sympathy.  
  
***  
  
Naru stalked out of the garage, circling the house in record time and reaching the stairs. She paused for an instant, spying the fires burning downtown. She wasn't sure how, but somehow, she would save Keitaro…her Keitaro.  
  
The wind swept through her hair, creating quite the stirring picture as she stood atop the high hill over Hinata.   
  
Her thoughts were interrupted by a hand landing on her shoulder. Looking over her shoulder, she saw that Kanako had somehow sneaked up behind her. The younger Urashima wasn't looking back at her; instead, she had the same distant look in her eyes as was in Naru's. Kuro sat atop her shoulder, his luminous eyes blinking slowly.  
  
"You love him as much as I do, don't you." The statement was uttered low, in a guttural voice, almost accusatory.  
  
  
  
Naru thought of a thousand sharp retorts, but held them back. After a moment, she nodded. "Yes. I really do."  
  
  
  
Kanako seemed to take this in. "I won't lose to you." she finally said.  
  
  
  
"If we don't work together," Naru countered, "Neither one of us will have him."  
  
  
  
"Agreed." She seemed to falter for a second, then stuck her hand out in an offering of peace. Naru smiled and took her hand, squeezing it in her own. "Together?"  
  
"Together."  
  
"It's times like this I wish I hadn't pawned Keitaro's camera for booze money." Kitsune's abrupt voice from behind caught both girls off guard. They turned around and saw the rest of Su's supposed 'Defense Force'. Motoko, Shinobu and Kitsune each wore a confident smile, Moggers strapped firmly to their wrists and fear concealed behind their collective worry.  
  
"Does this 'togetherness' include us as well?" Motoko asked with a trace of amusement. Her eyebrow was raised in question at the duo.  
  
Shinobu gathered up an uncharacteristic burst of courage. "We all love Sempai, too!" The bravery was short-lived, though, as her cheeks burned red with embarrassment. "Um…I mean…" A pair of hands enclosed her tiny shoulders, and she looked up into Kitsune's twinkling eyes.  
  
"That's right." Kitsune reassured her. She looked back to Naru and Kanako, giving them a wink. "He means something to us all. And this town is our home, too."  
  
"That makes it our fight as well." Motoko insisted.  
  
Naru felt herself choking up. "Well then," she kept her tears of pride in check, "What are we waiting for? It's at least fifteen minutes to downtown, and that's if we run!"  
  
A familiar gleam entered the trickster's eyes as she rubbed her chin. The wheels within her head were already turning, churning out another of her brilliant, diabolical schemes. "Actually," she said with a grin, "I had something else in mind…"  
  
***  
  
Keitaro panted, clutching his chest. He could feel his heart pounding against his ribcage as he leaned over, bracing himself against his knee with his other hand, still clutching the sword Motoko had given him. Several meters away, Tamagar leered at him confidently, still keeping the semi-oblivious Mutsumi in his enormous fingers.  
  
All around them, the pavement was torn apart and laying in pieces. A fire hydrant, the one his spine had opened (painfully, too!), was still spraying wildly into the air. It felt as though half a gallon was still soaked into his shredded sweater and torn jeans, tugging down with exaggerated force and making his limbs feel like lead. The department store had suffered several more strikes, and had definitely seen better days.  
  
"Well, Ronin," Tamagar laughed, "Are you ready to admit defeat? It isn't like you can beat me!"  
  
Mutsumi nodded in agreement. "He's right, Kei-kun. You do seem to be losing quite a bit."  
  
"YOU AREN'T HELPING!" Keitaro cried exasperatedly. He felt another surge of strength return as a wave of anger pounded in his ears. "Fine. Why don't we try this without your shield?"  
  
Tamagar's stiff, iron-clad features betrayed a hint of surprise as Keitaro rushed him; It was the first real assault the young man had pulled in the fight. Shifting his stance, the monster brought Mutsumi around to take the brunt of the attack, just as he had done during the rest of the battle.  
  
Gritting his teeth, Keitaro side-stepped at the last second. He came so close to Mutsumi that her perfume assaulted his senses as he whirled past, stopping just behind the beautiful shield. Twisting in mid-air, Keitaro called up every last bit of ki he could muster, sending it along his sword.   
  
"Boulder Cutting Strike!" he screamed, releasing the blast. The ki rushed out, focusing itself into an edge of air and spirit that pounded against Tamagar's arm. Alloys and wiring gave way to pure force, separating Tamagar from his valuable shield, and taking his arm with it.  
  
  
  
Tamagar had just enough time to cry out in pain as the electrical feedback plunged his tactile senses into screaming agony before he was struck again. Keitaro had barely touched the ground when his foot lashed out, catching Tamagar with a fierce side-thrust to the chest. Normally, the only result would have been about six or seven broken bones in favor of the turtle, but Seta's training had been better than that. An added burst of ki gave the kick power enough to blast Tamagar back into the side of a bus.  
  
  
  
The former Ronin watched his terrifying foe disappear into a pucker of aluminum siding as he caught the dismembered mechanical arm. "Yes!" he set the appendage down and pried Mutsumi out of it, helping her to her feet. "Are you all right?"  
  
  
  
"Yes," she smiled at him, wobbling slightly. She put a delicate hand on his shoulder for support, blushing as she leaned against his chest. "Though, usually, when I'm dreaming about being in public in my underwear, it isn't ever so complicated…"  
  
  
  
Keitaro suddenly remembered her state of undress. He could feel her body touching his through the gashes in his clothing. A heavy blush covered his face, and he could feel a nosebleed in the works already. "M-m-maybe we should get you some-"  
  
  
  
"NO MORE!"  
  
  
  
The inhuman roar came just as the enormous bus exploded into mechanical ruins. Metallic, razor-sharp shards spread in all directions, peppering the empty street and ripping apart anything that hadn't already been destroyed in the ongoing fight. Keitaro was barely able to fend off the shards heading their way as he saw Tamagar reemerge from the wreck.  
  
"Clever trick," the one-armed mechanical demon snarled, rending the rest of the bus's clinging ruins from his body. "But now that I don't have anything to encumber me, let's see how well your tricks work this time."  
  
As he spoke, Tamagar's twisted, damaged form began to ripple and undulate. Tubes, wiring, and a thousand other growths Keitaro couldn't recognize shot out of his stump of an arm, winding together and knitting themselves into a fully-formed appendage in moments. Once more, the turtle monster's maw was split wide in an unnatural grin.  
  
Keitaro swallowed hard, feeling the fear clutching at his chest. He pulled the tattered remains of his sweater from his body, shoving it into Mutsumi's hands. "Mutsumi, take this. Go and hide, now."  
  
"Kei-kun…"  
  
"Go!" He shoved her away and turned his back to his former study partner, squaring off against Tamagar. He heard Mutsumi stumble away, and kept listening until her bare footfalls were masked by the whistling of the wind and the crackling of fires that still burned. News teams and dozens of onlookers milled about the edges of the fight, but stayed a respectable distance away from the powerhouse turtle and the lone Ronin.  
  
"So, Keitaro," Tamagar used his name for the first time. It was an acknowledgement of just how much damage and aggravation he had caused. It also meant that playtime was officially over. "Round two?"  
  
His arms shifted into cannons once more, and the battle was rejoined.  
  
***  
  
Several kilometers away, within the safety of a familiar teahouse at the bottom of Hinata's tallest hill, the battle was safely contained inside a tiny television set high up in a corner. The teahouse's two lone occupants stood in silence, mesmerized by the unbelievable news coverage going on.  
  
…well, at least one of them was.  
  
Haruka's newspaper flashed like lightning, slapping Kentaro across the back of his head while his eyes were glued to the screen. "Get back to work, lazy." she scolded, speaking around the cigarette hanging from her bottom lip.  
  
Kentaro was torn between the horror on the screen, and the horror he felt at Haruka's indifference. "Aren't you seeing any of this?" he shrieked, waving his broom at the TV. "Your nephew is fighting a turtle monster!"  
  
Her hand snaked out, snagging the straps on his apron and tugging him forward. Their faces were so close that the unlit tip of her coffin nail poked into his cheek. "The only animals I see," she growled softly, "Are the dust bunnies fighting in the corner. Get to work."  
  
"Hello? Do you understand basic Japanese?" he jabbed his broom at the news coverage once more, stamping his foot for emphasis. "Keitaro is getting killed out there. You're scary; You should help!"  
  
"The only monsters I fight come during tourist season, Poor Man." she sniffed, eyeballing the television as she unrolled her paper. A small part of her truly felt for her nephew, but her days of fighting had ended when she and Seta had gone their separate ways. 'Let the kids have their fun,' she thought to herself as the televised Keitaro dodged a flurry of plasma bolts.  
  
The door burst inward with a loud bang. For half a second Haruka thought there might be new paying customers. When she saw it was Kitsune who had entered the teahouse, any thoughts she had of money immediately disappeared.  
  
"Haruka-san!" Kitsune huffed as the rest of the girls piled in behind her, "Where's…" She paused, catching sight of Naru's pathetic, fallen former manager. Her eyes twitched as a new smile graced her beautiful features. "Kentaro."  
  
Kentaro's coward-driven fear vanished, replaced with the veneer of the suave sophisticate he used to be. "So," he slicked his unkempt chestnut locks back with a sweep of his blistered hand, "You decided to seek me out in these dark times to make your last moments memorable?"  
  
To his surprise, Kitsune actually approached him with a sexy swivel in her hips. "Oh, Kentaro…" she murmured, fingering him beneath the chin with a delicate touch. "I've wanted to do this for so long…"  
  
The other girls gaped, their eyes wide with shock. Only Naru remained confident in her friend, knowing all-to-well what she was up to.  
  
"R-R-Really?" Even Kentaro was surprised. He shivered at her initial touch, but he was positively floored when he felt her other hand enter his pocket. "Y-Y-You have?"  
  
"Of course," she cooed. Her face loomed towards his, and he closed his eyes reflexively, puckering his lips. It was only after a few kiss-less seconds, when he heard a metallic jingling, that he opened them. Standing several steps back, the smiling trickster held the keys to his most prized possession; his sports coupe.  
  
"KITSUNE-SAN?"  
  
"I've always wanted to take this baby for a spin," she laughed, turning tail and running out the door. The rest of the girls followed, ignoring Kentaro's tortured sob and Haruka's painful admonishments to return to his work.   
  
Shinobu puffed beside Kitsune as they descended the steps. "Isn't this wrong, stealing Mr. Kentaro's car like this?"  
  
Kitsune led the way around the back of the teahouse, where Kentaro's gleaming red car was parked. "Right and wrong is a funny thing, Shinobu." She leapt over the side of the vehicle, plopping down into the driver's seat. Shinobu opened the door and entered the passenger seat while Kanako popped the rumble seat. "Is it right for us to sit around while Keitaro gets the shit kicked out of him?"  
  
That seemed to strike something within the young high-schooler. She reached over, snapping her seat belt into place. "Let's roll, Kitsune." she tried one of Kitsune's patented grins on for size, and the fit was unnaturally apt.  
  
The rest of the girls strapped in as Kitsune slid the key into place. The engine came to life with a roar as she pressed down on the gas, feeling the vehicle rumble beneath her grip on the wheel. Naru leaned forward, her head right next to her friend's ear. "D'you know how to drive stick?"  
  
"Hell no." Kitsune slammed the car into drive with a fierce grinding of gears. The car leapt forward with a violent lurch, neatly taking out a row of garbage cans as it sped off, cornering around the Tea House and racing down the street.  
  
Naru felt the wind sweep across her face, stinging her eyes and sweeping her hair back. 'Hold on, Keitaro!' she thought, clutching her hand to her heart. 'We're coming.' She heard a murmur to her left, and looked over. Kanako's hand was to her chest as well, her lips moving in a silent prayer must like her own.  
  
Despite the situation, Naru smiled. "Say Kanako," The gothic girl looked over, puzzled by Naru's sudden intonation. "Just so you know, I won't lose to you either."  
  
Kanako returned her smile, nodding slowly. "I wouldn't have it any other way." she reassured her rival.  
  
***  
  
A brick wall wasn't Keitaro's first choice to stop his painful, high-velocity arc, but he had precious few options. His spine slammed into the masonry of the Hinata Noodle Shop, chipping away at the storefront as he slid down to the broken pavement. Tamagar's punch still stung at his cheek. His vision swam, and a thin trickle of blood dripped from his chin.  
  
"Now do you understand the price of defying me?" Tamagar approached Keitaro, his twin weapons once again mechamorphed into arms. "Do you see how futile your fight is? I have existed for hundreds of years, and I shall continue to thrive in this new form."  
  
"Won't let you…" Keitaro hacked up a load of saliva and blood, his chest seized with wracking coughs. "Won't let you hurt Naru…or Kanako…or anyone!" he insisted pathetically, willing himself to stand. His shaky legs responded with help from the brick wall, braced against his free hand. The Shisui was aimed with his other, point quivering at Tamagar with the last of Keitaro's strength. "I won't give up. I promised them I'd protect them."  
  
"Promises, promises…" Tamagar sighed, an odd act for an artificial being to make. "You shouldn't make so many…you can't keep them all." He reached for his chest, his fingers finding their way to the seam that split his armor down the middle. The sections swung away at his touch, revealing a pair of massive, Guyver-ish cannons beneath. "Especially since you won't be around to keep them, eh?"  
  
The chest cannons began to glow with a bright, blinding blue-white light, casting an angelic glow upon Keitaro and the wall behind him. He shielded his eyes with a hiss of pain, staggering back to rest against the masonry. His equilibrium was returning, but slowly…too slowly.  
  
Tamagar's voice floated from behind the overpowering twin lights. "Any last words, Ronin?"  
  
"WAAAATCHHH OOOOOOOOUUUUUUUT!"  
  
The cry came too late for Tamagar as the front end of a beautiful, red sports car slammed into him from the side. The front of the car was crumpled immediately, crushing the engine and ruining the car beyond any immediate repair. Tamagar, with his mystically-induced armor, was relatively unscathed. Instead, he was propelled across the street, slamming into and through the department store wall with a booming crash and a cloud of explosive debris.  
  
Kitsune pulled her face out of the airbag, peeling the seatbelt off of her chest. "I warned him." she said, letting air back into her lungs in a sudden rush.  
  
"Sempai!" Shinobu leapt from the rumble seat, rushing to Keitaro's side. Her arms wrapped around his bruised, battered chest in a vise-like grip. "We were so worried!" she sobbed, crushing the air out of his body and turning his face three different shades of blue.  
  
The girls' driver glanced back at Kanako and Naru, seeing the jealousy seething just beneath their beet-red faces. Even Motoko seemed irritated at Shinobu's private moment with Keitaro. "Ease off there, kiddo," Kitsune warned, "He looks like he's been three rounds with a blender…and lost."  
  
"Oh!" Keitaro gasped as Shinobu let him go, falling forward onto his hands and knees. He coughed for a moment, swallowing what he hoped wasn't one of his teeth as he let his natural immortality take over. "Sorry, Sempai…"  
  
"S'okay," he gasped. As he rose to his feet, his senses came flooding back to him. "Wait a minute! What are you doing here?"  
  
"Saving you, as always, Urashima." Motoko regained her composure, resting her hand on her sword. "We witnessed your efforts on Su's contraption, and were thoroughly unimpressed."  
  
"So we came to the rescue." Kitsune winked. "Kentaro was even nice enough to lend us his car." The rest of the girls rolled their eyes, which brought a smile to Keitaro's bruised face. "Happy to see us?"  
  
"I'd be happier if you all were someplace safe," he assured them. He wanted to go on, but Naru's slender finger trapped his lips together.  
  
Leaning forward, she gave him a warm smile. "We'd all be happier knowing that you aren't fighting this alone, Keitaro."  
  
"That's right, Brother." Kanako murmured. "We are family."  
  
"All of us." Kitsune added, tossing her arm around Kanako's shoulder. The gothic girl glanced over, seeing her trickster neighbor tossing her a conspiratorial wink. The gesture wasn't lost on her, but she chose not to comment on it at the moment.  
  
"We'll stand with you, Sempai," Shinobu leaned against him, this time wrapping him in a gentle hug.  
  
"Even against the t-t-turtle." Motoko stumbled over the words, and her face became red again, but with her hand on her sword and her lips drawn tight across her mouth, no one would dare doubt her words.  
  
His first instinct was to tell them to get the hell out, to leave him behind and get to safety. It was at that moment that his memory suddenly took over, flashing images before his eyes almost faster than he could follow them.   
  
He remembered Shinobu's struggle with her family, and how he had taken it upon himself to take her in and give her the stable environment her parents couldn't (at least, as stable as the Hinata House could be). He remembered Motoko's struggles with her sister and her destiny as the future Sensei of the God's Cry School, and how he had battled by her side against Tsuroko so that she could decide her own destiny. He remembered coming between Su and her brother so that she could continue to be a child. Su had come under his protection as well. Naru, Kanako, Kitsune, even Mutsumi…they had all allowed him to help, bumbler though he was. Was it really right for him to refuse the same?  
  
He imagined how he would feel if any one of them was in his shoes, and the positions reversed. It was for damn sure that he wouldn't ever let them fight alone.  
  
Nodding at last, he felt the grin spread across his face. For the first time that day, he felt good about their chances against Tamagar. "I think you guys knocked him back into the department store."  
  
"Then what are we waiting for?" Kitsune laughed, putting her fist out. Each of them followed suit, lining their hands up. Naru and Kanako were the last. They looked at each other for a second, then back at the others.  
  
"Let's kick some turtle ass." Naru beamed.  
  
***  
  
The power had fizzled out long ago inside the department store, leaving only the occasional spark from a broken light fixture to rain down onto the cracked floor. Glass crunched beneath Keitaro's feet as he led the girls inside, sword drawn and hand held out to keep them behind him.   
  
Motoko followed closely, her black blade drawn as well. She glanced back at her companions, who had scrounged weapons from the ruins of the sporting goods department. It wasn't much of a show of force, but it would have to do.  
  
"Where do you suppose a giant turtle would hide?" Kitsune muttered, clutching her tennis racket.  
  
"Pet department?" Kanako muttered flatly.  
  
Kitsune's eyebrows shot up. "Did you just make a joke?"  
  
"No."  
  
She smiled. "Liar."  
  
"Focus, guys." Keitaro frowned, his mind racing. 'Think, Urashima,' he mentally kicked himself. 'Where would a three-meter tall mechanical monster go?'  
  
"Appliances." Everyone looked at Naru like she had gone insane. She simply shrugged. "He's a robot. Hinata doesn't have an electronics store, so what's the next best thing?"  
  
Even as they approached the section, Keitaro knew that she was right. He could feel Tamagar's presence even before he saw the turtle fiend standing among his fellow machines. Rows of refrigerators, stacks of blenders, vacuums lined up in neat, orderly rows, all surrounded him like a support network of sympathetic cousins. His mechanical red eyes widened at the sight of all six of them approaching, clutching bats and rackets, swords and a lone frying pan.  
  
"So," he snarled, brandishing his long, terrifying claws as they stopped several meters back, "You've all come to destroy me?"  
  
"Cut the drama, Nancy." Naru hurled, shaking her aluminum bat at him. "Get ready for a major pounding, Hinata House style."  
  
"And believe me," Keitaro told him, "You don't want one of those. I know."  
  
Surprisingly, the turtle found it within himself to chuckle. The others could only stand and stare in disbelief as he laughed at their future plight. "Well, Ronin," he addressed Keitaro, who still stood in the lead, "If you are allowed reinforcements, then shouldn't I be allowed the same courtesy?"  
  
The residents of the House watched in horror as Tamagar spread his arms out wide, his eyes flickering closed with concentration. For a moment, nothing happened, and the girls, as well as their manager, allowed themselves a slight sigh of relief. Perhaps Tamagar had been bluffing…And then they saw the appliances.  
  
One by one, the machines surrounding Tamagar began to pull together, sliding across the floor as if possessed. Televisions and DVD players and floor polishers all conglomerated into a pile several feet from their new master. In another second, they began to take form.  
  
Human form.  
  
"Watch," Tamagar crowed as several grotesque mechanical beings rose from the pile, "As my children continue the work I set out to do while I prepare to reclaim the power I once held."  
  
"He sure likes to talk a lot." Kitsune muttered. Despite her bravado, though, she was terrified at the sight that loomed before them. Beings comprised of objects she used every day, with chests of television, blenders for heads, arms and hands composed of exposed wiring and pencil sharpeners, and a thousand other items too numerous to count or name, all merged together into a familiar, terrifying shape.  
  
"I d-d-don't t-think we can d-do this, Sempai…" Shinobu murmured, shivering with fright. A loud metallic clang pounded into her ears, and she shrieked in fright before she realized that she had simply dropped her own pan.  
  
"Keitaro!"  
  
The familiar voice echoed from Keitaro's wrist. For a moment, he thought he was going crazy, until Su's voice once more called his name from the box strapped to his arm. "Su-chan?"  
  
"Keitaro!" this time it was Sarah's voice scolding him, as it usually did. "Use the Mogger, you dork!"  
  
"What if we explode?" Naru demanded.  
  
Kanako observed Tamagar's lumbering army, fresh from the pile and still multiplying. "Either way, we lose." she observed.  
  
Keitaro took a deep breath. "Okay…let's do it!" Silently, each girl took position behind Keitaro, forming a lopsided 'V' as they squared off against Tamagar and his forces. "Sorry, Annex. We have a different plan in mind."  
  
"And that would be?"  
  
"Say hello to foreign ingenuity!" Together, he and the girls reached for their wrists. They stayed in perfect unison as they pressed the large red button fixed to the control panel. Their voices cried out as one, as their Moggers came alive with an unnatural glow.  
  
"TRANSMOGRIFY!"  
  
=To Be Continued=  
  
Big thanks to SilverFox06 for proofreading and editing this one. If it sucks, then it's because he wasn't diligent enough. Make sure you send all flames to him, and all props to me! And I promise, the best is yet to come! Stick around for more HDF fun and action, same Tama time, same Tama channel! 


	3. TRANSMOGRIFY!

The Hinata Defense Force  
  
By Cyberwraith9  
  
Editing by The Silver Fox 06  
  
Part III  
  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"TRANSMOGRIFY!"  
  
Nothing happened.  
  
Keitaro and the girls stood stock still as the glow about their Moggers faded slowly to nothing. Tamagar and the rest of his forces rested before them, growing in number with each passing second; More and more rose from the pile of appliances, shambling together on unsteady legs and propelled by mystic forces both strange and terrible.  
  
Tamagar was frozen, like his opponents. His head tilted in confusion as the last light from their wrists faded, his gaping maw splitting wide in a hideous smile. "Was that it?" he asked, his arms spread wide. "Was that your ace in the hole?" He began to chortle a sickening, slow laugh at the expense of the so-called "Hinata Defense Force."  
  
Keitaro was frozen as well. He was torn between being grateful that they hadn't exploded, or being dissatisfied that he and the others weren't now clad in high-tech armor that would allow them to kick Tamagar and his merry band of automatons all across the board.   
  
It nearly broke his heart to hear Shinobu's shaky voice tremble from behind him. "S-s-s-sempai," she quaked, "W-what do we d-d-do n-now?"  
  
"I think this is the part where we get squished." Kitsune muttered, backing up several steps.  
  
  
  
"Squished hard, Lush." Tamagar assured her. "Go, my minions!"  
  
  
  
The automatons leapt, crept, lurched and lumbered at the Hinata Housers relentlessly. Though they differed in size and shape, all possessed a surprising speed that caught the young people off guard. With shrieks and cries, the girls scattered to either side, leaving Keitaro to take the brunt of the charge. He did so on the strongest, most calloused part of his body; his jaw.  
  
A circle of automatons surrounded the wayward manager as the rest broke off, chasing after the others. Motoko and Kanako turned to fight, but the rest concentrated on dodging about.   
  
With a precise slash, Motoko took the blender (which served as its head) right off of one of the fearsome lackeys. The creature stopped for a moment, then lashed out and backhanded the warrior faster than she could parry the blow. She countered with another slash, this time cutting the creature in half and kicking the torso away. Three more took its place, already swinging at her with impossible strength.  
  
"This is not working!" Motoko called, barely blocking the strike in time. "There are too many!"  
  
Kanako grunted, using the Urashima Lotus Fist to shatter the television-chest of another automaton. "We'd be fine if {ugh!} Kaolla's ridiculous toys had worked!"   
  
Shinobu ducked the grasp of a particularly gruesome creature, a conglomeration of electrical extension cords. The bodiless beast twisted and writhed at her, trying to snare her in its coils as she shrieked in fear, running about mindlessly. "What happened?" Shinobu wailed. "Su-chan promised that they would work!"  
  
Kitsune backed up slowly, then stopped as she saw only a waddling refrigerator sliding itself slowly towards her. It stopped a short distance away, resting silently in front of her. For a half-second, she waited for the device to attack, but it hadn't yet.  
  
"Hey," she snickered, thumping the plastic casing of the fridge's door, "Maybe we don't need that armor after all!"  
  
The fridge's freezer door swung open violently in response, smacking the fox lady across the jaw and knocking her silly. It quickly closed, and the larger, lower main door swung open right after, knocking her to the ground. As she lay on the broken floor, the fridge began spitting small cubes of ice onto her prone body, bonking her frostily in the noggin.  
  
"Okay…" Kitsune mumbled, "Who ordered the slacker on the rocks?"  
  
A sudden yell burst from the gaggle that had surrounded Keitaro. They were tossed aside like rag dolls with a burst of explosive ki, revealing a panicked Keitaro wielding the Shisui. Grunting, he leapt up to his feet, sneakers squeaking and eyes scanning the battlefield.   
  
Motoko and Kanako were holding their own…barely. It wouldn't take long for the machines to overpower them. Shinobu could not run forever, and Kitsune was currently enjoying an impromptu ice bath. Searching further, Keitaro felt a chill run down his spine; Tamagar was nowhere to be found.   
  
Desperately, he waved his sword at the mechanical terrors, keeping them at bay for the moment. Raising his other hand, he practically put the Mogger in his mouth as he screamed, "SU-CHAN! CAN YOU HEAR ME?"  
  
"No need to shout, Kei-kun!" Su's chipper voice buzzed from the white blockish device. "I can hear you just fine through the communi-link.!"  
  
Keitaro leapt forward, slicing through one of the automatons as he continued to shout to Su via their invisible link. His voice grew more desperate with each swing. "Fine!" he shouted anyway, "So now how do I put that stupid armor on?"  
  
***  
  
Su's floating head frowned, bobbing above the garage/lab's floor. "Stupid?" she said with a tinge of disappointment. "My armor isn't stupid, it's brilliant!"  
  
"SU-CHAN!"  
  
Keitaro's tinny voice began wailing through the communi-link once more as a new series of crashes and metallic clangs echoed through their makeshift command center. Sarah's tiny hands flew across her workstation as she ran a diagnostic on the armor, sitting placidly in their cases to her left. "Su," Sarah muttered, "Are you sure you told him everything about the armor?"  
  
"What's there to tell?" Su's head insisted cheerfully. "You put on the Mogger, you press the button, you say the activation code, and bada-BOOM!"  
  
Sarah's head snapped around, sending her long blonde hair flying about as she looked up at Su's translucent noggin. "Wait," she insisted, "What was that last part?"  
  
"AUGH! LEAVE MY SKIN ALONE!!!" Keitaro's communi-link connection wailed.  
  
"Boom?" Su provided.  
  
Sarah shook her head. "No, before that."  
  
"Bada?"  
  
"Keep going back." Sarah urged her friend patiently.  
  
"THAT DOESN'T BEND THAT WAY!"  
  
"You say?" Su's head tilted to the side, a serious gesture for someone whose body was nothing 'but' a head.  
  
Sarah sighed, smoothing her red lightning bolt shirt. "A little further ahead…" she encouraged.  
  
"Activation code?" the mad scientists finally spat out after a moment's recollection.  
  
"Good, now put it together."  
  
"Say the activation code. Bada-BOOM!" Su cried at last. "YAY! What did I win?"  
  
Sarah ignored her, grabbing the microphone from her console and yanking it over to her mouth. "Keitaro!"  
  
"OH GOD, THE BLEEDING!"  
  
"Listen up, dummy!" Sarah gritted her teeth, eyeing the suits of techno-armor as she shouted into the mike. "You have to say the suit's activation code!"  
  
Another grunt came with a few scrapes and clatters through the link before Keitaro spoke again. This time, his voice was a little calmer and more collected. "Fine," he half-shouted, "But what's the code? Su never told me-"  
  
"Su!" Sarah screamed, "What's the code?"  
  
"Bada boom!" Su's head twirled, her holographic hair flying behind her. "Wheeeeeeeeee!"  
  
Sarah sighed again, thumping her head against her console. "This is gonna take a while."  
  
***  
  
Naru cried out in pain as she was carried bodily to the ground. The cold, sharp metal claws of a Mechanoid duo clasped her arms and forced her to her knees. Her clothing was shredded, just barely intact enough to maintain decency. The cold tile slammed into her legs as they gathered the Defense Force in the remains of the appliance section.  
  
Shinobu, Kitsune, Motoko and Kanako were all next to her, being similarly held by the conglomerations of mechanical monsters. The latter two struggled to no avail, tugging against their captors. The resident drunk and cook, however, merely quivered quietly as the Mechanoids' king stepped before them, leering with a sick sense of victory.  
  
"So," Tamagar chortled, "All but one of your pitiful little band, kneeling before me as you should. So now, the cycle is almost complete. I ruled all, and was defeated. Now, with but a single boy to capture, I shall soon rule all once more."  
  
Kitsune found new courage as the mechanical beast continued to rant endlessly. "You know," she looked up at him, "I always thought that comic book villains were dumb for gloating and talking and telling the hero about their evil plans. But you…" she shook her head, "You make Doctor Doom look like a social introvert with communication issues, hondo."  
  
"Oh Christ…" Kanako murmured as Tamagar stepped forward. For a moment, he locked eyes with the House's slacker, matching her glare for glare. Then, without a word, he lashed out with a vicious backhand that took everyone by surprise and knocked her to the ground. The girls cried out in unison, but Kitsune remained defiantly silent.  
  
"That mouth of yours needs some adjustment, girl." Tamagar snarled, pulling his hand back for another strike. Kitsune glared up at him, her lips trickling blood as they curled into a sneer. "Maybe a little more medicine will quiet you-"  
  
"Stop it! Stop it now!" Naru sobbed and screamed.  
  
Tamagar froze for an instant, and then turned to the trembling girl. His large metal shod hand shot forward, snagging her jaw between his massive fingers. Naru, to her credit, didn't make a sound. She merely quaked, glaring up at him with tearing eyes. "You realize that this is all your fault, don't you?" Her lips remained pressed together as he continued to speak as if to a child. "Had you not interfered with their love, none of this would not have happened."  
  
It was Kanako who replied to that. "We aren't your puppets to manipulate, monster." she spat with venom in her eyes.   
  
The comment took Naru by surprise; after all, if she hadn't interfered, Kanako stood to gain everything. Maybe she had misjudged the girl… "She's right." Naru insisted. "This is insane. Let us go!"  
  
The great turtle beast smiled cruelly, shaking his massive, serpentine head. "No. No, I don't think so. Instead, I do believe I'll-"  
  
The rest of his monologue trailed off into an incomprehensible scream as a small, silvery dart sliced into his shoulder, quivering from the force of the throw. Immediately, all eyes in the room, including Tamagar's, swiveled around to catch sight of the projectile's master.  
  
Keitaro stood several meters back, his arm still raised from the shot. He glared at Tamagar, trying to hide his knocking knees with a ridiculously heroic pose. "Ready for round three?" he asked.  
  
Tamagar reached around, pulling the Shisui from his shoulder. He acknowledged Keitaro's sword with a nod before tossing it back to the young man. "Impressive…" he allowed for the sneak attack, "But if you think your little toys are going to stop me…"  
  
"Keitaro!" Naru screamed, leaning over so he could see her panicked face from behind Tamagar's leg. "Get out of here, you're no match-"  
  
"It's all right, Narusegawa." Keitaro gave her a reassuring glance before zeroing back in on Tamagar with a scowl. "I called tech support." He raised his Mogger across his body, putting it level with his head next to his face. "TRANS-"  
  
"Keitaro!" a tinny whine buzzed from the boxy device, "You promised!"  
  
"Su-chan," he hissed out of the side of his mouth, "I don't think we have time for a magical-girl transformation speech."  
  
"Pleeeeeeeease?"  
  
With a heavy, disgusted sigh, Keitaro struck another pose. "Evildoers and not-nice people in general, beware!" he proclaimed loudly and unenthusiastically. "Your doom is upon you! You shall be punished by the most powerful force in the universe, the Hinata Protector-  
  
"Hinata Defense Force!" Su's electronic voice insisted.  
  
"-Hinata Defense Force!" Keitaro finished lamely. There was a poignant pause before he looked at his Mogger pleadingly. "Now?"  
  
"Do it to it!" came the sing-song reply.  
  
Sighing in relief, Keitaro pressed the button on his Mogger with an eager "TRANSMOGRIFY!" Just as before, the device came aglow with an aura of brilliant white that cast heavy shadows on the rest of the room.  
  
A 'ho-hum' escaped Tamagar's wide mouth as he yawned loudly. "Yes, yes," he waved Keitaro off, "We've seen this all before. Mechanoids-"  
  
With a smirk of his own, Keitaro added, "Hinata Armor White!"   
  
The dull glow grew into a blinding light that engulfed Keitaro completely, bringing illumination to even the darkest depths of the ruined department store. Tamagar roared in pain as his optic sensors overloaded, forcing him to turn away. The rest of the girls squinted through the luminescence, trying to catch sight of their landlord.  
  
Keitaro was nothing more than a silhouette now, and it was clear that whatever the transmogrification was doing, it involved removing his clothes. Sections of his outline flashed even brighter and grew bulkier as a covering began to appear over his body: segmented arm and leg coverings complete with plating; a chest piece that accented his wiry frame; a round helmet, complete with faceplate, fitting over his dark hair and protecting his noggin.  
  
The light dimmed, revealing the brand-new Keitaro. He was clad in Su's turtle-themed armor, pure white from head to toe and gleaming with unknown and powerful alloys. He seemed dizzy from the aftereffects of the process, blinking heavily to chase the spots from his eyes. However, the impressive nature of his new look gave the girls hope, and was not lost on their turtle captor.  
  
"Mechanoids, get him!" Tamagar snarled, jabbing his finger to indicate the armored warrior before them. His lumbering henchmen lurched forward in response, converging on Keitaro's spot with uncanny speed. The girls collectively cried out in horror as Keitaro found himself facing a gaggle of goons.  
  
'Time to see if Su wasn't just blowing smoke out of her ass…' he thought, steeling himself with a deep breath. He still held the Shisui, which had somehow survived the transmogrification process. Swinging the sword in front of him, he raised the blade to block an incoming Mechanoid-  
  
-and cleaved the creature clean in twain.  
  
Keitaro stared in awe as the metallic foe cried out with one last screech of horror before it slid apart, falling to the floor into useless components. He hadn't intended to put that much force behind the blow, and yet the creature lying in a useless pile of junk at his feet said otherwise. "Holy…"  
  
"Wow…" Kitsune murmured, the first of the girls to find her voice. "Someone's been eating his Wheaties…"  
  
With a renewed sense of conviction, Keitaro let fly a crazed war cry and leapt into the group of Mechanoids, swinging his sword with deft dexterity and incredible power. The slower creatures, fresh into this world and powered by evil magic, were nonetheless powerless to stop Keitaro. One by one or in groups of two and three, they fell to the might of his blade, powered by the awesome strength of his turtle armor.  
  
Sensing a shift in the battle, Tamagar took a cautious step back. "Methinks it's time for a quick withdrawal to rethink the situation. Mechanoids, kill them all!"   
  
The rest of Tamagar's forces, holding behind their leader, leapt forward at his command. Their master slipped away down the department store's isles while his creatures converged on Keitaro's position. Already, the Mechanoids were overwhelming Keitaro with sheer numbers. He was rapidly running out of room to wield his sword, finding himself the focus of an unwanted dog pile.  
  
The girls stood as one, now free from Tamagar's clutches and ignored by his minions. Naru looked to the rest of them, finding a nod at each one that she met eyes with. They knew what they had to do. "Are we going to let that moron have all the fun?"  
  
"Did everyone catch the activation sequence?" Kanako asked. Again, they all nodded. "Very well." She looked to Naru in a rare gesture of charity. "Narusegawa-san, would you do the honors?"  
  
Naru smiled. "I'd be honored, Kanako-chan." She adopted a stance similar to Keitaro's. The girls quickly followed suit, filing up behind her in another 'V' formation. "Ready? TRANSMOGRIFY!"  
  
They all pressed the Mogger's red control, activating the armor teleportation as they spoke their individual command codes:  
  
"Hinata Armor Pink!"  
  
"Hinata Armor Black!"  
  
"Hinata Armor Blue!"  
  
"Hinata Armor Y-yellow!"  
  
"Hinata Armor Purple!"  
  
The Mechanoids halted their attack on Keitaro as the room once again grew impossibly bright. Keitaro managed to get his head out of the pile, looking towards the source of the photonic starburst, his techno-faceplate filtering out enough light so that he wasn't blinded. Unfortunately, he nearly plastered the inside of his faceplate with the mother of all nosebleeds at the sight of his five tenants, stark naked and kept humble only by the fact that they were silhouetted into dark shapes by the transmogrification process.  
  
Plates of armor and components teleported onto their bodies as the light faded, leaving the battlefield considerably altered; five new armored warriors now stood where five helpless girls had cowered at the might of Tamagar's army, ready to do battle to defend their home, their honor, and their manager.  
  
Naru was the first to recover, shaking the spinning dots from her vision. Her fists curled at her sides, dangerous weapons on par with any sword Keitaro or Motoko could wave about. "Everyone okay?"  
  
"Better than okay," Kitsune looked herself over, glancing back at her cute armored buttocks. The curve of the design, front and back, did wonders to accent her sexy figure. "I look fabulous."  
  
Shinobu looked down at her own feeble chest plate, blushing in embarrassment; hers was the smallest. "I think there's something wrong with mine…" she mumbled softly.   
  
Motoko was similarly blushing at the exposure she felt in her armor, even though it technically covered everything. The problem was, the shape of the armored plates left little to the imagination.  
  
  
  
"Hey!" Kitsune glanced over at Kanako. "How come Goth-Girl's armor is different?"  
  
Kanako ran a hand along her helmet, finding a pair of sharp triangular projections on either side in place of the turtle shell grooves the others' possessed. Unlike the rest of them, her armor had a distinctive cat theme, right down to the painted claws on her forearm guards.  
  
Su-chan's voice buzzed in Kanako's Mogger/forearm guard, answering Kitsune. "Since Kanako came with her own pet, I thought she should have a-"  
  
"Could we have a fashion discussion later, please?!" Keitaro screamed from beneath the lumps of machinery. As soon as the transmogrification process had completed, the Mechanoids had lost interest, taking up their attack on Keitaro once more. It was all the manager could do to keep them from crushing him, much less fight back.  
  
"Whoops." Kitsune and the others ceased the useless banter, rushing forward in one big group to help Keitaro. They reached the pile and began tugging on the beastly creations with their augmented strength. Appliances and machines went flying as the girls discovered for themselves just how strong they had become. Even little Shinobu, who had poked at the pile with great trepidation, quickly found out that she was more powerful than the pathetic henchmen could ever be. In a matter of minutes, Keitaro was free and reunited with his tenants, and the Mechanoids were still collecting themselves from where the girls had tossed them.  
  
"Thanks," Keitaro panted, accepting helping hands from Naru and Kanako. He picked up his sword, seeing that Motoko had hers as well. The rest were unarmed, but after seeing the Mechanoids' relative weakness firsthand, he wasn't concerned in the least. "Shall we?"  
  
They responded with a chilling cry that tore at the Mechanoids' black souls as they witnessed the Housers charge forward, crashing into their ranks and tearing them apart.  
  
Kitsune singled out the refrigerator that had been tormenting her earlier. With her newfound strength given to her by her lilac armor, she tore the door from the machine and began beating it with the cover. "The next time-" WHAP! "You give me ice-" WHAP! "There had damn well BETTER-" WHAP! "BE!" WHAPWHAPWHAP! "ALCOHOL WITH IT!"  
  
Naru and Kanako ran side-by-side, tearing into the nearest conglomerations of appliance-monsters with a berserker frenzy. Their fists and feet flew like rain, hammering helpless, slow-witted monstrosities left and right. Possessed of a brand new courage and unfettered rage, they decimated the enemies ranks, dropping even Keitaro's jaw (and he had witnessed their ferocity firsthand on multiple occasions).  
  
Shinobu was the only one to really hold back for the first few moments. She ran up to one of the Mechanoids, but came to a screeching halt with a tiny shriek as the creature reared up at her. "N-n-no!" she squealed, shoving her hands out to defend herself. "S-stay aw-w-way!"  
  
The creature was knocked almost sixty feet back by her push, driven through several displays and flying apart at the mechanical seams. It took Shinobu nearly a minute to come back around as she stared blankly at her hands in disbelief.  
  
But Motoko?  
  
Motoko was like the angel of mechanized death. She and her ominous blade Hina came swirling in like a mad whirlwind, slicing apart creatures faster than any of their eyes could follow. Earlier, she had feared that Su's idiotic contraptions would slow her down and impede her flow of chi. As loathe as she was to admit it, though, they just plain made her stronger. Even Tsuruko would not recognize her own sister as the blazing blue streak that sliced apart the unnatural offenders.  
  
Within moments, the entire floor was littered with the body parts of the defeated and deceased Mechanoids. Blenders, television screens, washers, dryers, fridges and a whole host of other devices now lay askew everywhere. The only ones left on the field of battle were six huffing, heaving warriors, tired but triumphant in the end.  
  
"And that is that!" Keitaro sighed contently, dusting his hands off.  
  
Naru glared at him, stomping over so she could slap him upside his helmeted head. The blow didn't hurt, but it did knock him for a loop. "Are we forgetting about the GIANT TURTLE MONSTER THAT CREATED THESE THINGS?" she said loudly, waving her arms in the air.  
  
  
  
"Whoops." Keitaro chuckled nervously, straightening his helmet. "Heh heh… Let's go?"  
  
They were about to give chase in the direction Tamagar had fled when the components around them began to stir. At first, it was just a little quiver, hardly noticeable. But as Naru and Keitaro had argued, the movements had grown until the pieces of the fallen army were dragging themselves across the floor, slowly making their way into a growing pile in the center of the destroyed room.  
  
Shinobu was the first to notice the offending components, pointing with a shaking finger as she watched the mound cultivate. "Um…Sempai?" she said meekly (more so than usual).  
  
"What is it, Shinobu-cha…" his voice fled as he saw what she did.   
  
Indeed, the entire impromptu team now noticed as the mound began to tower over them, shifting and swaying. A low, inhuman moan escaped the pile as it shimmied, rumbling through the floor and chilling them to the bone. They took several steps back from the strange sight, gritting their teeth and readying themselves for what was to come.  
  
Kanako threw a look behind them, unable to see any sign of Tamagar anymore. "We have to go after that turtle," she insisted, "Before he does any more damage."  
  
"We would be wise to deal with the problem at hand first." Motoko advised them.  
  
With an agitated sigh, Kanako began sprinting after the long-gone monster. "Fine!" she snapped, "You handle the toys again! I'm going after their master."  
  
"Kanako, wait!" Keitaro cried after his sister, but another lurch from the pile forced his eyes frontward again. With growing horror he watched the pile mechamorph into a loosely humanoid shape.   
  
It possessed thick legs made of washing machines and dryers, with a chest of refrigerators, arms of lamps and cords and toasters, and armored with broken bits of everything. A large, unbroken wide-screened television sat atop the mess, flickering alive despite the lack of electricity. A pair of monstrous red eyes blinked onto the screen, focusing down upon the hapless Housers.  
  
  
  
"Ahhhh," it groaned, flexing its new limbs. "Mechadon arises for the glory of Tamagar!"  
  
  
  
"N-n-nice to meet you…" Shinobu wavered, taking several steps further back.  
  
  
  
Mechadon's cruel eyes swept across the lot of them, narrowing as if they were real eyes. "The famous Hinata Defense Force…I shall enjoy crushing you for my master!"  
  
  
  
"Famous?" Kitsune exchanged looks with Motoko, who simply shrugged. "I thought this crazy gig was only ten minutes old."  
  
  
  
"Word travels fast." Motoko smiled, raising her sword. "Shall we live up to that reputation?"  
  
  
  
Motoko's confidence ended when a bolt of pure blue energy struck her in her armored chest, knocking her back into a display twenty feet away. Kitsune and the others looked over in awe to find Mechadon's outstretched hand, still smoking from the energy bolt. "I shall not be as easy as my predecessors," he assured them with an electronic sneer.  
  
  
  
Keitaro brought his Shisui about, gulping with fear. "Which round are we in now?"  
  
***  
  
Tamagar waddled out into the light of day, grinning to himself. "The fools should be discovering the true nature of my Mechanoids right about now…" he said to himself, pushing out of a crater their battles had left in the department store's walls.   
  
What few people remained in the area screamed and scattered at the mere sight of him. He grinned at their fear, his downtrodden spirits bolstered at the sight of their unadulterated terror. Stomping out of the hole, he looked about for any other signs of trouble.  
  
  
  
"And now to continue my conquest of this pathetic-ARGH!" He fell to his knees as something struck him in his shelled back, blindsiding him out of nowhere. "What in blazes?"  
  
  
  
His serpentine head swiveled, finding a most unwelcome sight behind him; Kanako stood in her full cat-armor glory. Her stance was unmistakably aggressive, and her narrow eyes gleamed from behind the translucent faceplate. "You know," she scowled, "I don't usually agree with Konno-san, but she's right; You talk too much."  
  
  
  
"Insolent whelp!" Tamagar snarled. His hand swept back faster than Kanako could react, knocking her off her feet and back into some of the surviving brick. Masonry cracked and thundered as she slammed into the wall, falling amidst a hail of broken stone and mortar. By the time she pulled herself out of the pile, coughing and groaning, Tamagar had caught up with her. His massive fingers snatched her by the back of her armor, hauling her off of her feet.  
  
"Put me down!" Kanako shrieked, taking a useless swing at the monster.  
  
His thoughts and emotions collected again, Tamagar was able to smile at her. "Child," he said sweetly, "Why do we fight?" He didn't let her answer, pressing ahead. "I was going to give you everything you ever wanted…love, companionship…" His eyes squinted, "The power to crush your rival."  
  
"I…" Kanako struggled in his grip to no avail. Even with her super-strength, she was no match for Tamagar's mystical power. "I didn't need your help! I don't!" she cried. "My brother will love me for who I am, and not because he's been enchanted."  
  
"You've seen the way he looks at her." Tamagar pushed, raising her to look into his malevolent eyes. "It's just the way you wish he would look at you. Wouldn't you give anything for that?" His voice lowered to a whisper. "Isn't he worth that?"  
  
Kanako could only hang limply in his grasp. Her lips trembled as she considered his words. Tamagar was an evil, despicable monster…but did that mean he was wrong?  
  
***  
  
Shinobu squeaked and flinched back as Kitsune was tossed aside like a rag doll. The slacker landed on her rump, her armor carrying her across the broken floor in an uncontrolled skid that ended in a pile of shelves. "Kitsune-san!"  
  
It was par for the course as far as their battle with Mechadon was concerned; at the moment, Keitaro and Naru were on opposite sides of the hulking mechanical man, taking swipes at it as they tried to confuse it. Neither Naru's fists nor Keitaro's sword could do more than a scratch to Mechadon's tough hide. Motoko had just now managed to drag herself back to the battle. Her chest plate was scorched and her pride was bruised, but she appeared otherwise fine.  
  
"Keitaro," Naru panted, ducking under Mechadon's enormous fist, "We have to come up with a plan! This isn't working!"  
  
"I know!" he cried back, taking one on the jaw and swiping at Mechadon in retaliation. "I'm a little short on a plan at the moment," Another fist struck him upside his helmet, sending his vision reeling. "And these blows to the head are making it really hard to concentrate!"  
  
Motoko leapt in with a shrill scream, coming at the monster with a colossal Air Splitting Strike that shook the entire building. Pieces of Mechadon's armor went flying, along with Keitaro and Naru, as the monster was rocked backwards on his heels. Suddenly, as Motoko finished the swipe, his arm telescoped forward, snagging her in his grip. "Augh!" she cried out as his hand began crushing her. The protective armor around her body began to creak and moan under the stress.  
  
"Aaawuuuuaaaaa!" Shinobu danced from foot to foot, too scared to help, and too scared to think. "What do I do, what do I do?"  
  
"Well," a voice sounded from her wrist, "Don't just stand there…fight!"  
  
"Sarah?" Shinobu looked around, confused. "Can you see me right now?"  
  
It was Su who answered this time. "We're watching you on the Viewing Sphere, Shinomu!"  
  
"How?" Shinobu scanned the room again, "You're all the way back at the House, and I don't see any cameras."  
  
A sudden, quiet 'myuh' from her feet grabbed her attention. She looked down, and nearly keeled over at the sight of the House's two pets decked out with movie equipment: Kuro somehow lugged a camera much larger than him on his shoulder, while little Tama-chan sported a boom microphone strapped to her shell. Both pets looked back up at her, giving her a tiny wave and an identical mewling before focusing their equipment back on the battle.  
  
"Su-chan!" Shinobu wailed, "I wanna help, but…I just can't!"  
  
"Why not? Sarah says your armor is operating at peak efficiency, so-"  
  
"It's not that!" she sniffled, watching as even Kitsune hauled herself back up to try and free Motoko. "I'm just not strong enough. If Motoko-chan couldn't beat the monster with her sword, how am I supposed to fight without one?"  
  
There was a poignant pause before Su's voice erupted from her wrist once more. "Ohhhhh, you need a weapon!" she chirped. "Well, why didn't you say so. Just say 'activate weapons' system,' and you'll be all right!"  
  
Shinobu rolled the words around in her mouth. "Activate weapons' system? I don't-"  
  
A mechanical, Sarah-like voice in her ear immediately sprang to life as luminous text began spilling across the inside of her faceplate. "Activating weapons' systems." the voice said calmly. Shinobu shrieked, falling backwards in surprise as several images and kanji flashed right in front of her eyes. The voice continued to request input. "Specify: Melee or ranged combat?"  
  
"Melee? What's-"  
  
"Command accepted. Now activating Yellow H-D-F Melee Weapon. Please press flashing indicator on left arm guard."  
  
Looking down, Shinobu caught sight of a small, flashing panel on her left arm, blinking against the bright, neon yellow of her armor. Tentatively, she reached out and tapped it with her other hand. The air around her immediately began to shimmer and sizzle. Frightened, Shinobu squeezed her eyes shut, opening them only when she felt a strange weight enter her hands.  
  
Cracking a single eye, she caught sight of a brightly painted frying pan resting between her hands, identical in color to her armor. Su's three-eyed delta pattern was revealed on the back as she turned it over in her grasp, examining the strange 'weapon.' "Su," she asked to thin air, "What on Earth is this?"  
  
"Say hello to the Power Pan!" Sarah answered her instead. "Thumb the switch on the bottom for your mega-attack."  
  
Shinobu saw the small button at the bottom of the handle, exactly where Sarah said it would be. She decided to leave it alone for the moment. Looking up to the ensuing battle, her heart still felt a beat of hesitation. 'Can I really do this?'  
  
'Can you afford not to?' a small voice asked her as her friends were tossed about.  
  
"YAAAAAAA!" Raising the pan above her head, Shinobu charged forward, legs pumping and lips drawn back in a shrill, ridiculous battle-cry. She leapt the remaining five meters between her and Mechadon, using the suit's powerful legs to carry her across the gap as she swung the pan up and around.  
  
Mechadon, in the midst of grappling with Motoko and the others, was ill-prepared for the surprise attack from the Defense Force's quietest member. Pan blazing, eyes wild, Shinobu swept in and slammed the cooking utensil into Mechadon's massive head. The sheer force of the blow toppled him, forcing the beast to release Motoko as he fell to the floor.  
  
"Holy crap…" Kitsune muttered, awe-struck as Shinobu landed in a heaving, scowling heap. "Way to kick ass, Shinobu-chan!"  
  
Keitaro exchanged glances with Naru. "That looks like fun," his girlfriend quipped. "What did she say?"  
  
Motoko, whose ears were sharper, spoke the activation code and began reading through her own suit's weapons. She already had her sword, and had no use for futuristic ray guns. However, there was an interesting feature that the Blue armor afforded her, designed specifically with her in mind. She tapped her flashing forearm, and said, "Shell Shield!"  
  
A bright flash of light revealed a large, oblong shield that fit comfortably over her left arm. The main color scheme was the same light blue as her suit's, with dark blue veins running in a turtle pattern to complete the look.  
  
Excitedly, Naru joined in on the fun, pressing her own flashing forearm. "Slam Staff!" A long pink shaft of metallic fury appeared in her hands, perfectly balanced and glowing with a soft aura of crimson power.  
  
"Now that looks like fun," Kitsune said, running through her own weapons' menu. She pressed the flashing indicator, materializing her own weapon into the fray. Unfortunately, once the light had faded, she found herself with a bit of a conundrum. "SU!"  
  
"Ye-es?" Su's voice drawled merrily from the communi-link.  
  
Kitsune hefted the pair of heavy lilac broadswords, tugging at the chain in the middle that linked them together. "What the hell are these?"  
  
"Oh," Su twittered, "Those are my new special weapon; Sword-Chucks!"  
  
"What do I do with them?"  
  
"Sword-chuckery," Su laughed as if she was being silly. "What else?"  
  
With a terrible roar, the Mechadon lumbered forward and clobbered Kitsune while she was deciphering her new and highly idiotic weapons. She and the sword-chucks went flying back out of sight as the rest of the Defense Force gathered to hold him at bay.  
  
Motoko took point, warding off his smaller shots with her enormous shield. "These weapons are helping," she grunted at another glancing blow, "But we still need an attack strategy."  
  
Keitaro began scanning through his own weapons' inventory, speaking into the communi-link frantically. "Quick, Su-chan," he snapped, "What's my close-combat thingy?"  
  
"You don't have one yet." she answered, sounding sheepish.  
  
"WHAT?"  
  
"I told you the armor wasn't ready yet!" he heard Sarah shout at her mentor.  
  
"C'mon," Su coaxed, "Think of it as beta-testing. Once they die, we can recover the armor and correct the mistakes!"  
  
"SU!" Keitaro screamed again.  
  
"Only kidding, Kei-kun!" she teased. "You do have the only long-range weapon available, though. Ol' Auntie Su didn't forget you!"  
  
Naru dashed in for an attack run on Mechadon, her glowing staff leaving a trail of light as she spun it above her and slammed it into his midsection. The techno-stick flew in a flash of dazzling fury, guided by her gloved hands as she tore into the great beast with everything she had. Dryer doors and television screens went flying as the Slam Staff rained blow after blow upon the hapless drone of Tamagar.  
  
Mechadon flinched back, then swept what was left of his massive hand out, knocking Naru aside. "Enough!" he rumbled. "No more trickery or toys, Defense Force! Just plain death!"   
  
His undamaged palm raised and zeroed in on Motoko again, sending a blinding flash of blue plasma at her again. She was able to put her shield up in time, but still suffered the full force of the attack and was sent tumbling backwards.  
  
  
  
"Now you…uh?" he paused before dishing out more Technicolor death, listening as a slow, steady scream became louder.  
  
  
  
Out of the blue (actually, from behind one of the ruined displays) came Kitsune, spinning like a top. Her hands were carefully clutching one of her blades by the flat side. The other was spinning about her in a blur as she spun dizzily in Mechadon's direction. Before the massive creature could back up, Kitsune got close enough for the flopping blade to smash into him, tearing a large chunk out of his middle and drawing a fitful electronic scream from the speakers that served as his mouth.  
  
  
  
"I think I got the hang of these things…" she muttered, trying to get the world to stop its revolting revolutions. "Now, where's the off-OOF!" A bolt of plasma caught her square in the back, knocking her motionless onto the floor.  
  
  
  
"Ha!" Mechadon looked at the remaining member of the Defense Force, clutching her pan and trembling with fear. "Yellow suits you, my dear. Your cowardice is greater than the might of this team's combined pathetic power! Now…" His palm raised, he gathered extra power for a supreme blast, casting the entire room in a hellish glow. "Hold still, and this will be over quick."  
  
  
  
"You got that right!"  
  
  
  
Keitaro stepped out of the woodwork, clutching a massive cannon. The gleaming white tube of mechanical might was so large it took both hands to simply lift and wield. Still, Keitaro had no problems hefting it with his armor, and at the moment, its sights were set squarely on the sinister symposium of appliances.  
  
  
  
"Say hello to the Buster Bazooka," Keitaro grinned, shifting the cannon to rest more comfortably in his grip.  
  
  
  
"H…hello." Mechadon's electronic eyes filled the entire screen.  
  
  
  
"Now say goodbye."  
  
  
  
As the cannon disgorged a blinding flash of power, Mechadon failed to heed Keitaro's advice; instead, he merely screamed in mortal agony as the stream of pure energy ripped into his body, vaporizing most of it and sending what little remained on separate, permanent vacations.  
  
  
  
Satisfied, Keitaro set the spent cannon aside. It had taken all of the weapon's stored energy, but it had definitely done the job. The rest of the girls re-gathered themselves around him, checking each other over to make sure they were all okay.  
  
  
  
"This is quickly becoming one 'really' screwed-up day." Kitsune brushed some of the char off of her armor, restoring it to its pristine purple hue. "Can we just kill the damn turtle and get back? I haven't had anything to drink in almost half an hour."  
  
  
  
"Oh man!" Keitaro suddenly remembered who they were missing. "Kanako!"  
  
  
  
Naru winced inwardly at his concern. Idly, she wondered if he would have shown as much alarm if she was the one missing. "This way!" she said, leading the charge in the direction of their wayward teammate and the hulking brute she had gone to chase.  
  
***  
  
"Look at yourself," Tamagar glared down at the fallen, battered warrior, both amused and angry at her persistence. "Just look at what you're wearing!"  
  
Kanako heaved, coughing as she clutched her aching ribs. She occupied one of many craters the massive turtle being had created using her body as a shot-put. The edges of her vision were growing darker with each blow she took. 'Perhaps,' she allowed between coughs, 'Going after the big fish alone wasn't the best plan.' Out loud, however, she was all sass and brass. "You aren't exactly a fashion plate yourself, Gabby."  
  
His thick, rotund leg lashed out, catching her in a vicious kick that launched her into the air. He snagged her in mid-flight before she could go anywhere, once more bringing her to his face-level. "Even your silly little costume is different from theirs!" he sneered. "You're an outcast among freaks, and you know it!"  
  
She was…at least, she thought she was. It killed her to think that Tamagar was making sense. "Shut up." she snarled, taking Tamagar by surprise as her foot kicked across his face, snapping his head to the side. "Just stop talking!"  
  
"Defense Force?" Tamagar chuckled at the blow, his red optic sensors gleaming. "A super-team? Hardly. If they cared about you at all, they would be helping you right now. So where are they?"  
  
"Right here, Sir Talks-A-Lot!"  
  
Tamagar's throat rumbled as he turned around, spying the other five annoyances as they climbed out of the hole in the store. They sported some kind of new weaponry and determined faces set behind their faceplates. "The super-team!" he snarled, swinging Kanako around to act as a shield.  
  
Keitaro stepped forward, his white armor gleaming in the sunlight. "You can just call us the Super…Mondo…Mega…" He trailed off. Turning to the others, he asked, "Um, what was our name again?"  
  
"Wasn't it Turtle Squad?" Naru scratched her helmet.   
  
"Wonder Warriors, I think…" Motoko offered helpfully. Her hand was at her blade, and her eyes never left Tamagar's malodorous features.  
  
"I kind of like Mega Friends," Shinobu said quietly.  
  
Kitsune looked over. "Hey, that's not bad-"  
  
"No no NO!" Sarah whined loudly over their common communi-link. She huffed impatiently, wondering where the flair for the dramatic had gone in this day and age. "We're the Hinata Defense Force!"  
  
"Go-go HDF!" Su chipped in.  
  
"Right, right," Keitaro nodded, now remembering. "That was it. Anyway…LET MY SISTER GO!"  
  
"Brother," Kanako shouted, "Just attack through me and be done with it!" She really meant it, too. With a sudden realization, she came to understand; none of this was Keitaro's fault. It was all on her head. If she had never come to the Hinata House, none of this would ever have happened. "Take him down, Brother!"  
  
"Taking one for the team?" her captor snorted pure steam and barked a single laugh. "How noble."  
  
"We aren't a team," Keitaro shouted at him, taking another step forward. "We're a family!" Both Naru's and Kanako's eyes went wide at his proclamation, but both were on the alert when he shouted, "Let's get him, guys!"  
  
Tamagar was absolutely astounded when the rest of Kanako's friends charged forward, weapons brandished and mouths wailing with a haunting war-cry. He took several steps backwards, then dropped Kanako and began to run.  
  
This proved to be a costly mistake; with Kanako out of the way, Motoko saw a clear shot. She exchanged glances with Keitaro, who instantly understood and nodded with a smile. "Boulder Cutting STRIKE!" they cried together, gathering their chi and projecting it in twin deadly slashes. The invisible force crashed into Tamagar's back, lifting him high into the air and then crashing him back into the ground.  
  
The turtle beast sat up, rubbing his elongated head with a moan. His optic sensors came back on-line just in time to see a blur of yellow fury heading his way. "Uhn?"  
  
Shinobu set her face in grim determination, forcing all of her fears and doubts behind her as she thumbed the switch on the end of her pan. The cooking implement came aglow with glittering golden light, leaving a streaking trail just as Naru's staff had.   
  
She gathered all of her might, natural and synthetic, behind one titanic shot that she socked right onto Tamagar's kisser. An explosion of energy ripped into him the moment the glowing pan connected with his nonexistent chin, blowing him back across the pavement. Tamagar left a deep trench as he sailed through the tar and cement, kicking up a cloud of debris as he slowly slid to a halt.  
  
  
  
"My turn!" Naru took off in a run, gripping her Slam Staff tightly. She plunged the end of the staff into the ground and took to the air in a power-assisted pole vault. Tamagar had pulled his head out of the pavement, spitting up a large chunk of road just in time to see Naru coming down on the opposite end of her arc. "Naru Mega-Kick!" she cried, slamming her boot right between Tamagar's eyes. The fluidic metal of his face actually dented inward, crunching as she leapt off of his head and landed with perfect form.  
  
  
  
A soft clapping caught Naru's attention, drawing her eyes to Kitsune. The slacker had her Sword-Chucks tucked beneath an arm, and was applauding Naru's acrobatics. "Nice work, kiddo." she congratulated. "Now check me out."  
  
  
  
Tamagar forced himself onto his feet, groaning and creaking at his stressed-out joints. "Meddling kids," he muttered, clutching at his damaged systems. Then he roared in pain as a pair of enormous blades sunk deep into his shoulders from behind.  
  
  
  
Kitsune braced herself on Tamagar's giant shell, digging one blade out of him and using the other for support. Grunting, she looped the long chain around the front of his neck and began to pull, trying to choke the life out of him. "I take it back, Su," she called out, "These things are…uh-oh."  
  
  
  
It occurred only too late to Kitsune that robots didn't need to breathe; Tamagar's pneumatic head swiveled one-eighty with a mechanical whirr, glaring at her eye-to-eye with as much hatred as the titanium turtle could muster. His eyes flashed bright red, then lanced out with twin lasers that caught Kitsune square in the chest, driving her off of his back with a sharp cry. He twisted about, tearing the Sword-Chucks out of his shoulder and tossing them aside.  
  
  
  
"Perhaps you're right, Konno-san." he snarled, advancing on her. She crab-walked backwards, but he was quickly gaining ground. "Maybe I do talk too much. Well," his fists crackled with black energy, "What say we just get on with it, then?"  
  
***  
  
Keitaro knelt down by his fallen sister, cradling her head in his lap. "Wake up, Kana-kun." he murmured softly, pulling her helmet away. The armor slid off after a moment's work, allowing her luxurious black hair to cascade onto his legs. "Please wake up," he pleaded.  
  
"Mmmm…Keitaro?" her eyes fluttered open, dancing about as they tried to focus on her brother above her. "Brother…wha…where…?"  
  
"Shhhh…" Keitaro whispered, feeling tears of joy streak down his sooty cheeks. He removed his own helmet, then wiped them away, unashamed. "It's okay now. It's all okay." Reaching down, he hugged her desperately to his chest. "I was so worried about you."  
  
"You…were?" It felt good to have his cheek rubbing against her neck, but disconcerting at the same time. From the angle they were sitting at, she could see the other girls renewing their attack on Tamagar, and doing a pretty damn good job of it, too. "I thought…Naru…" she trailed off.  
  
"You don't get it, do you?" he pulled back, looking deep into her eyes. "Yes," he admitted, "I love Naru with all of my heart. But I love you too."  
  
"It…it's not the same." She felt her own tears welling up in her eyes as she turned away. Then she gasped, feeling Keitaro's hand grip her chin.  
  
"No," he nodded, "It isn't. But that doesn't make it any less powerful, or any less real. You're my sister…my family. And no matter what," he told her firmly, "Nothing will ever come between that. Not even Naru."  
  
Part of Kanako shriveled and wailed at the confession; Keitaro loved her as a little sister, and not as a woman. It didn't matter that she was adopted, or beautiful, or sexy, or smart…Naru would always have him like that.  
  
But…  
  
Didn't she have him in a way Naru never would?  
  
A frightened scream caught both of their attentions, drawing them back to the battle. There, Kitsune had fallen, weaponless, and was now about to be crushed.  
  
"We have a job to finish, Brother." Kanako said stoutly. She pulled her helmet back over her head, feeling the servos in the device pull her hair up and out of the way. She would have to thank Su for that little consideration later.  
  
"Let's give it to him, Sis." Keitaro pulled his own helmet on, helping her to her feet.  
  
For the first time all day, Kanako came through with a genuine smile. "Hinata House style." she added. It made her heart soar to see the comment draw an identical smile from him.  
  
***  
  
Tamagar shrugged the other girls from his shoulders as they tried to keep him away from Kitsune, tossing them aside like the insects they were. Down on the ground, the freeloader couldn't help but whimper as Tamagar drew nearer, boxing her in against the wall of an undestroyed building. Her life suddenly flashed before her eyes…well, the parts of her life she hadn't been blacked out for, anyway.  
  
"And so ends the reign of the Party Queen." Tamagar snickered. His right hand mechamorphed, turning into a massive energy cannon. "So, do you have any last words?"  
  
"Urashima Double-Serpent Strike!"  
  
In retrospect, Tamagar would ask himself why he turned at the sound of the Urashima siblings' combined voices. He would wonder why he did not simply finish off the one Houser at his mercy, thus shattering the rest of their morale and making them ripe for crushing.   
  
But, like any good villain, he was irresistibly drawn to the sound of a new heroic super-move, and so turned in time to see Kanako and Keitaro running at him. The turtle-clad streak of white ran shoulder-to-shoulder with the catty black shadow, kicking up a cloud of dust in their wake as they sprinted at Tamagar. At the last second, they took to the air, performing a single flip followed by a perfectly-synchronized double-kick.   
  
  
  
With four feet slamming into him, Tamagar was propelled helplessly through the brick wall of the shop, sailing right over Kitsune's wailing head as he crashed through the masonry. Kanako and Keitaro landed on either side of the screaming slacker, helping her to her feet as they joined the others.  
  
  
  
"Fantastic!" Naru exclaimed, rushing forward to meet brother and sister as they formed into their fighting unit. "You two were amazing!"  
  
  
  
"Th…Thank you." Kanako couldn't help but blush at the compliment.  
  
  
  
Even Tama-chan and Kuro came forth, their equipment swaying as they ran to their family. Su and Sarah could be heard cheering through the communi-link, mirroring the excited chatter exchanged between the Defense Force members. All of that came to a halt as the sound of bricks clattering and shifting sounded from the ruined store.  
  
"So," Keitaro headed up the formation as Tamagar pulled himself out of the wall's ruins, "Are you ready to give up?"  
  
"You pathetic humans," Tamagar sneered with disgust as his ruined body sparked, jerking wildly with each movement. "You think you've won, don't you?"  
  
"Basically," Kitsune shrugged, taking up her Sword-Chucks once more.  
  
Motoko gathered her chi, mentally preparing for a Cutting Evil Strike. "Surrender, Demon," she challenged him, "And we shall make this brief and painless."  
  
"Speak for yourself," Naru grunted, pounding a fist into her palm. "I plan on going a few more rounds with Chuckles here."  
  
"Well," Tamagar buzzed as his voice modulator faltered, "You have demonstrated great power. It really is a pity I have to destroy you with…the ULTIMATE TURTLE TERROR ATTACK!"  
  
"Ah-hah." Kitsune yawned as Tamagar spread his arms wide and looked up into the sky. "What would that be, a pray for divine intervention?"  
  
***  
  
Deep down beneath the bowels of Hinata, where only the bravest and most foolhardy would dare to tread, resided the world's largest colony of mechanical hot-springs turtles. They had taken root in the honeycomb tunnels beneath the sleepy springs town with great gusto, creating a truly impressive establishment. Refuse of all types were molded to fit the colony's needs, brought in by its fleet of tiny seeker drones.  
  
Suddenly, a silent cry went up through the entire colony; mecha-tama everywhere buzzed as one of the colony's drones activated their doomsday beacon, a signal reserved only for the gravest of dangers to their home.   
  
They took a few seconds to gather en mass in the main chamber before swooping out, rushing to the rescue of their besieged brother.  
  
***  
  
The Housers stood in silence for a moment, watching Tamagar beckon to the sky in silence. It was almost hypnotic to watch him sway back and forth, all the while unaware of his true intent.  
  
It was Kitsune who lost interest fastest. "Look," she said, "It's getting late. I'm missing my soaps, so…Motoko, why don't you do your thing?"  
  
The swordswoman was about to step forward to perform the warding strike when a large shadow fell over the area, blocking out the sun and blackening Hinata's commercial district. Curious, their gazes drifted to the sky, soon rending their curiosity into abject horror.  
  
Motoko fell to her knees at the sight of a thousand mechanical turtle drones swooping down from the sky, blotting away the large expanse of blue in place of an armada of metallic shells and flippers. Her sword clattered to the ground as her eyes grew to saucer-like proportions, her lips moving soundlessly, voice lost amidst the terror.  
  
"INCOMING!" Sarah's voice warned them needlessly via the communi-link. The Defense Force fell to the ground, covering their heads and screaming in terror as the turtle drones fell upon them in droves, clicking their beaks and flapping their flippers.  
  
"Yes!" Tamagar cried triumphantly, calling his brethren to him. "YES! COME TO ME, AND GIVE ME STRENGTH!"  
  
The tiny drones shrieked as an invisible force grabbed hold of them. The discovery of this turtle imposter came too late as they were drawn in, molded and mounted onto Tamagar's body in place of his broken components. But the absorption did not stop there; soon, the great beast became even greater, bloated with the bodies of a thousand turtles.  
  
The Earth quaked and rumbled as Keitaro witnessed the sun's glorious return. With returning hope, he looked up…  
  
And up…  
  
And up…  
  
And up some more…  
  
"Uh…guys…" he said hoarsely, his voice failing him. "Gu-gu-guys?"  
  
The rest of his team looked up one by one, letting out gasps or tiny shrieks or (in Tama and Kuro's case) startled myuhs. There, standing on the street where the hoard of turtles had been, stood but a single monster.  
  
A single, towering, gigantic monster.  
  
"YES!" Tamagar cackled with glee, glaring down at his arch-nemeses. "AT LAST, I POSSESS THE POWER TO CRUSH YOU ALL WITH MY…Huh?" His attention soon drifted in another direction, away from the ants at his feet. Swiveling his neck, he looked off into the distance, gleaning something far out of sight over the horizon.  
  
Impossibly, the turtle beast turned away from his foes, lumbering down the street and through buildings that stood in his way as he made his exodus. It took only a few massive steps before he was out of sight, though Keitaro and the girls could still feel his footsteps against the ground.  
  
"What's he doing?" Shinobu asked timidly, dropping her Power Pan. Against a monster that size, she doubted there was anything the pan could do for her. "Where's he going?"  
  
"Well, that was kind of rude…" Kitsune joked half-heartedly. "He just up and left in the middle of a fight."  
  
Su's voice crackled over the communi-link, sounding grave. "I was afraid of this…"  
  
"What, Su?" Naru asked.  
  
"He's headed for Tokyo."  
  
"What?" Motoko was the first to break the shocked silence. "How could you possibly know that. And besides, why would he-"  
  
"There's no time!" Sarah insisted, breaking into the conversation. "Look, everyone just get back to the hanger bay."  
  
"You mean the garage?" Keitaro said with some confusion.  
  
Sarah began muttering with irritation. "Criminy," she mumbled, "YES, the garage. And step on it, we don't have much time."  
  
"But what are we going to do?" Shinobu insisted into the 'link. "He's huge."  
  
"I'm afraid we have no choice," Su lamented. "We're going to have to activate them."  
  
"What?" Keitaro asked.  
  
The response was ominous and vague, as all of Su's had been that day. "The T-Five." she answered.  
  
=To Be Continued=  
  
Holy Continuations, Batman! What are the Housers going to do? And what's this "T-Five" Su's talking about? Stay tuned for another exciting chapter of The Hinata Defense Force!  
  
Oh, incidentally, I'm sorry for the woeful lateness of this chapter. I'll have the next one out much more quickly, I guar-on-tee! 


End file.
